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COMPLETE    BIOGRAPHIES 


the  Presidents  of  tlje  Uijited  States, 


FROM  THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME, 


INCIDENTALLY  EMBRACING 


A  History  of  this  Country  for  More  than  One  HnnJrei  Years, 


BY    W.    A.    PETERS. 


With  Full  Page  Portraits  and  Numerous  Other  Illustrations. 


NEW  YORK : 

.    Ml.    LTJiPTOIvr,    Fi 
No.  3  PARK  PLACE, 
1884, 


COPYRIGHT  BT 

P.    M.    LUPTON 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  to  the  public,  in  this  work,  the  lives  of  the 
Presidents  of  the  United  States,  the  author  has  been  actuated 
not  only  by  the  ordinary  motives  of  the  biographer  and  his- 
torian, but  also  by  an  earnest  desire  to  present  to  the  youth  of 
the  land  for  then-  admiration,  ambition  and  emulation  the 
noblest  examples  of  self-made  manhood  the  world  ever  saw. 

Human  history  fails  to  present,  since  governments  began,  a 
succession  of  rulers  who  have  so  generally  risen  from  humble 
positions,  and,  by  the  inherent  and  cultivated  elements  of  true 
and  noble  manhood,  reached  such  sublime  heights  in  the 
records  of  individual  achievement  and  greatness.  In  all  those 
qualities  through  which  they  have  improved  their  own  condi- 
tion and  that  of  their  fellow  men,  they  outrank  the  noblest 
Roman  patrician  and  the  sublimest  Grecian  philosopher. 

In  no  other  historical  or  biographical  events  could  the  peculiar 
advantages  and  blessings  of  our  form  of  government  be  so  con- 
spicuously set  forth  to  the  world  as  in  the  manner  in  which 
these  men  have  respectively  risen  step  by  step,  successively  oc- 
cupied the  highest  position  within  the  gift  of  the  people,  and 
passed  into  the  serene  and  dignified  retirement  of  the  statesman 
and  the  patriot,  while  the  rising  generation  who  have  followed 
their  example  step  forward  to  take  their  places. 

The  author's  work,  however,  would  not  be  complete,  were  it 
only  a  biographical  eulogy,  filled  with  sentiments  of  praise  and 
incidents  of  personal  life .  The  endeavor  has  been  also  to  embrace 
in  the  work  as  much  of  the  history  of  our  country  as  is  con- 
nected with  the  public  career  of  the  Presidents.  Such  a  history 
cannot  fail  of  being  interesting  to  every  American  citizen,  em- 
bracing, as  it  naturally  should,  particular  records  of  many  im- 
portant events  which  are  mentioned  but  briefly  in  general  hig- 


tory.  Such  historical  events  become  not  only  more  interesting, 
but  are  more  easily  remembered  by  their  association  with  the 
life  of  a  particular  President.  The  profession  of  politics  is  also 
more  clearly  outlined  in  such  a  work,  and  each  administra- 
tion naturally  forms  an  era  in  our  history  marked  by  dividing 
lines  which  do  not  exist  in  the  ordinary  records  of  national 
events. 

Thus  the  life  of  Washington  has  its  clearly  denned  historical 
era,  beginning  with  the  Indian  wars  and  the  French  and  English 
war  for  supremacy  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  embrac- 
ing his  personal  connection  with  our  war  for  independence  and 
ending  with  his  retirement  from  public  life. 

The  life  of  John  Adams  may  be  said  to  embrace  the  diplo- 
matic era  of  our  early  history.  To  that  of  Thomas  Jefferson 
more  properly  belongs  the  era  of  our  ablest  statesmanship, 
including  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  noblest  expo- 
nent of  political  sentiments  ever  given  to  the  world. 

The  War  of  1812  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  adminis- 
tration of  James  Madison,  save  so  far  as  its  greatest  victory 
associates  it  with  Andrew  Jackson  and  binds  him  in  memory 
with  its  halo  of  glory. 

To  Jackson  and  Harrison  more  properly  belongs  the  era  of  our 
Indian  wars  after  the  establishment  of  the  Union,  while  with 
the  biographies  of  Taylor  and  Pierce  are  entwined  the  interest- 
ing incidents  of  the  Mexican  War. 

Next  arose  in  our  history  a  series  of  fierce  political  contests  on 
the  question  of  slavery  and  its  extension,  embracing  several  ad- 
ministrations, and  culminating  with  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
during  which  the  great  war  was  waged  which  secured  universal 
freedom  in  our  land  and  the  permanency  of  the  Union. 

The  author's  endeavor  has  been  in  this  manner  to  so  entwine 
the  history  of  our  country  with  the  biography  of  her  greatest 
heroes  and  statesmen  that  it  cannot  fail  of  being  interesting  and 
instructive  to  bot  h  young  and  old.  It  has  also  been  the  en- 
deavor to  so  compile  and  condense  thai,  the  informa'ion  is  con- 
tained in  a  single  volume  of  such  moderate  size  that  it  is  brought 
easily  within  the  reach  of  all,  and  especially  of  that  class  of  the 
rising  youth  who,  to  succeed  in  life,  must,  like  so  many  of 


Our  Presidents,  make  themselves.     Here  there  is  food  for  study, 
food  for  admiration  and  food  for  example  and  ambition. 

If  these  purposes  have  been  accomplished  in  this  work,  the 
author  will  fee  gratified  that  the  labor  expended  on  its  pages 
has  contributed  to  a  better  knowledge  of  the  Presidents  of  the 
United  States  and  the  history  of  our  country  connected  with 
their  public  life,  and  he  will  rest  content  with  any  share  of 
appreciation  the  public  may  bestow  upon  his  labor. 

W.  A.  PETERS. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON 11 

JOHN  ADAMS  .   49 

THOMAS  JEFFERSON 75 

JAMES  MADISON 109 

JAMES  MONROE  125 

JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS  137 

ANDREW  JACKSON 151 

MARTIN  VAN  BUREN 175 

WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON 183 

JOHN  TYLER 199 

JAMES  K.  POLK 203 

ZACHARY  TAYLOR 211 

MlLLARD  KlLLMORE    229 

FRANKLIN  PIERCE 235 

JAMES  BUCHANAN 245 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 261 

ANDREW  JOHNSON 303 


CONTENTS.  Vii 

PAOE. 

ULYSSES  S.  GRANT 323 

RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES 351 

JAMES  A.  GARFIELD 367 

CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR 395 

GROVER  CLEVELAND 417 

EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA 440 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Portrait  of  Gteorge  Washington 10 

The  Old  Elm  Tree 21 

Dorchester  Heights 25 

Washington  Crossing  the  Delaware 32 

Washington's  Headquarters  at  Newburgh 39 

Old  Family  Vault 47 

Portrait  of  John  Adams 48 

Continental  Currency 51 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill 57 

Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia 68 

Portrait  of  Thomas  Jefferson 74 

Residence  of  Thomas  Jefferson  at  Monticello,  Va 78 

Fac-Simile  of  the  Signatures  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence      91 

Tomb  of  Jefferson 105 

Portrait  of  James  Madison 108 

Portrait  of  James  Monroe 124 

The  Capitol  at  Washington 181 

Portrait  of  John  Quincy  Adams 136 

Portrait  of  Andrew  Jackson 150 

Statue  of  Andrew  Jackson,  New  Orleans,  La 171 

Portrait  of  Martin  Van  Buren 174 

Portrait  of  William  Henry  Harrison 182 

Portrait  of  John  Tyler 198 

Portrait  of  James  K.  Polk . .  202 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  IX 

PAGE. 

Portrait  of  Zachary  Taylor 210 

Portrait  of  Millard  Fillmore 22S 

Portrait  of  Franklin  Pierce 234 

Portrait  of  James  Buchanan 244 

The  White  House 252 

The  East  Room 253 

Portrait  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 260 

The  Early  Home  of  Abraham  Lincoln 262 

Mr.  Lincoln's  Residence  at  Springfield 274 

The  Tomb  of  Lincoln 300 

Portrait  of  Andrew  Johnson 302 

Birthplace  of  Andrew  Johnson  at  Raleigh,  N.  C 304 

Portrait  of  Ulysses  S.  Grant 322 

The  Birthplace  of  General  Grant 324 

Portrait  of  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  350 

Portrait  of  James  A.  Garfield 366 

Mr.  Garfield's  Residence  at  Mentor,  Ohio 380 

Portrait  of  Chester  A.  Arthur 394 

Portrait  of  Grover  Cleveland    416 

Birthplace  of  Grover  Cleveland,  at  Caldwell,  New  Jersey. .  419 

Christopher  Columbus. 441 

Discovery  of  the  Mississippi  River  by  De  Soto 450 

The  Mayflower 468 

Plymouth  Rock , 470 

William  Penn. ..  ..  502 


LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


"Immortal  Washington!  to  thee  they  pour 
A  grateful  tribute  to  thy  natal  hour, 
Who  strike  the  lyre  to  Liberty,  and  twine 
Wreaths  for  her  triumphs—for  they  all  are  thine. 
Wooed  by  thy  virtues  to  the  haunts  of  men, 
From  mountain  precipice  and  rugged  glen, 
She  bade  tfape  vindicate  the  rights  of  man, 
And  in  her  march  'twas  thine  to  lead  the  van." 

There  is  in  the  history  of  every  nation  a  heroic  age  when  some 
grand  and  noble  spirit  rises  sublimely  at  the  critical  period  of 
her  existence;  some  strong  arm,  some  master  mind,  some 
noble  heart,  to  do  and  dare  and  conquer  for  the  right. 

In  Washington  was  our  country  blessed  with  such  a  sublime 
hero  in  her  darkest  hour  of  peril,  and  it  becomes  our  proud  and 
pleasant  duty  to  record  in  these  pages  the  historical  facts  which 
have  made  his  name  shine  like  a  star  in  all  lands. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  George  Washington,  was  born  on 
the  22dof  February,  1732,  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Potomac 
River,  in  Virginia.  His  father  was  Augustine  Washington,  the 
son  of  John  Washington,  who,  nearly  two  centuries  ago,  left 
England  in  company  with  his  brother  Lawrence  and  settled  in 
Virginia,  where  John  manied  and  raised  a  family,  of  whom 
Augustine  was  the  second  son.  Augustine  was  married  twic'*. 
His  first  wife  was  Jane  Butler,  by  whom  he  had  several  chil- 
dren. His  second  wife  was  Mary  Ball,  who  is  so  well  known  to 
American  history  as  the  revered  mother  of  George  Washington. 


1$  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Augustine  Washington  died  when  George  was  about  ten  years 
of  age.  Of  his  life,  business  and  prominent  traits  of  character 
but  little  is  known.  One  incident,  however,  stands  out  in  his- 
tory to  mark  his  nobility  of  soul — his  sublime  reply  to  his  son: 
"  I  would  rather  lose  a  thousand  trees  than  have  my  boy  tell  a 
lie."  But  if  George  was  blessed  with  a  noble  father,  he  was 
fortunate  in  having  a  mother  who  was  an  honor  to  him  in  every 
quality  of-  maternal  excellence,  and  who,  on  the  death  of  her 
husband,  devoted  herself  to  the  earnest  work  of  securing  an 
education  for  the  son  who  was  to  become  so  conspicuous  in 
after  years.  The  means  of  education  at  that  period  were  of 
course  very  limited,  and  a  grammatical  knowledge  of  the  Eng- 
lish language,  mathematics,  history,  natural  and  moral  philoso- 
phy formed  the  course  of  his  youthful  studies.  Of  this  educa- 
tion mathematics  formed  by  far  the  most  important  part.  This 
proved  of  great  advantage  to  him  in  early  life  in  qualifying 
him  for  the  office  of  practical  surveyor,  and  in  later  years  in  its 
connection  with  military  science.  His  manuscripts  of  business 
rules  and  forms  of  commercial  paper,  prepared  at  an  early  age, 
gave  indications  of  superior  qualifications  of  mind  and  of  his 
earnest  devotion  to  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  those  things 
which  would  most  fit  him  for  practical  business  in  life.  At 
fifteen,  his  education  being  nearly  completed,  he  was  desirous 
to  enter  into  active  life,  and  obtained  the  berth  of  a  midshipman 
in  the  British  navy,  but  seeing  his  mother  in  tears  at  the  thought 
of  parting  with  him,  his  great  affection  and  reverence  for  her 
dissuaded  him  from  the  adoption  of  this  course  of  life. 

Of  the  early  youth  of  Washington  very  few  facts  have  been 
preserved  in  history.  He  had  the  natural  passions  of  a  boy  for 
the  active  sports  and  games  of  school  days,  but  he  possessed 
more  dignity  than  was  customary  at  his  age,  and  he  was  pro- 
verbial for  manly  bravery.  Full  of  morality,  dignity  and  cour- 
age, he  was  ready  to  defend  others  as  well  as  himself.  His  well- 
developed  physique  and  proverbial  strength  were  as  conspicuous 
in  his  boyhood  as  in  after  years,  and  served  to  win  for  him  both 
admiration  and  respect.  But  if  conspicuous  for  those  qualities, 
how  much  more  admired  was  he  for  his  moral  traits  of  character 
and  for  his  deep  and  earnest  love  and  veneration  for  his  mother, 


CffiORQE   WASHINGTON.  13 

During  all  these  years  he  was  acquiring  the  rudiments  of  a 
good  English  education,  and  having  applied  himself  with  en- 
ergy, he  acquired  the  fundamental  principles  of  knowledge 
which  so  eminently  fitted  him  in  after  years  for  his  successful 
military  leadership  and  eminent  statesmanship.  There  is  no 
brighter  example  in  human  record  of  the  tree  inclining  to  the 
bend  of  the  twig  than  the  relationship  of  Washington's  man- 
hood to  the  noble  traits  of  his  boyish  character.  He  appeared 
instinctively  to  cultivate  every  quality  of  heart  and  soul  and 
mind  necessary  to  fit  him  for  his  conspicuous  after  life,  as 
though  he  had  been  selected  at  his  birth  as  the  instrument  of  a 
nation's  redemption. 

After  leaving  school,  and  while  he  was  still  under  sixteen 
years  of  age,  he  became  acquainted  with  Lord  Fairfax  while 
residing  with  his  brother,  Lawrence  Washington,  at  Mount 
Vemon.  and  so  won  upon  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  Fair- 
fax that  he  employed  young  Washington  to  survey  his  immense 
tracts  of  land  granted  him  by  the  Crown,  which  were  located  in 
the  wilderness  of  the  Alleghanies.  This  was  an  undertaking 
requiring  the  greatest  moral  courage  and  physical  endurance. 
To  accomplish  it  Washington  set  out  with  a  few  attendants  in 
the  early  spring,  while  snow  and  ice  still  covered  the  ground, 
and  through  pathless  wildernesses,  among  savages  and  wild 
beasts,  they  marched  by  day  and  slept  by  night,  sometimes  in 
tents,  occasionally  in  the  wigwams  of  friendly  Indians,  and 
often  under  the  starry  sky.  By  day  all  sorts  of  obstacles  and 
dangers  were  encountered — swollen  streams,  mountainous  rocks, 
dense  and  impenetrable  forests  and  swamps,  besides  occasional 
hostile  savages  and  ferocious  wild  beasts,  which  we  might  say, 
in  grim  humor,  had  to  be  surveyed  around.  It  was  through 
such  difficulties  as  this  that  Washington  accomplished  the  first 
labor  of  his  business  life. 

The  success  of  his  undertaking  and  the  accuracy  of  the  survey 
were  such  that  he  was  then  appointed  as  a  public  surveyor,  in 
which  position  he  diligently  continued  f  01  three  years,  at  which 
time  he  had  so  attracted  public  attention  by  his  abilities  that  he 
was  appointed  one  of  the  adjutants  general  of  Virginia,  being  then 
but  nineteen  years  of  age.  When  scarcely  twenty-one  he  wag 


14  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

employed  by  the  government  of  his  native  colony  in  an  enter- 
prise of  very  considerable  importance. 

The  French,  as  the  first  European  discoverers  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  claimed  all  those  extensive  regions  whose  waters 
emptied  into  that  river,  and  they  had  just  formed  the  plan  of 
connecting  their  possessions  in  America  by  the  unior.  of  Louisi- 
ana and  Canada.  In  pursuance  of  this  design  a  line  of  military 
posts  from  the  lakes  to  the  Ohio  River  had  been  commenced  in 
the  year  1753.  This  line  of  forts  ran  within  the  boundaries  of 
Virginia,  and  the  Governor  of  that  province  deemed  it  his  duty 
to  remonstrate  against  this  encroachment,  which  he  considered 
in  violation  of  previous  treaties.  He  therefore  determined  to 
send  an  agent  to  the  French  commander  on  the  Ohio  to  convey 
his  views  upon  this  important  and  delicate  subject.  For  this 
purpi  se  Mr.  Washington  was  the  person  selected. 

In  discharge  of  this  trust  he  set  out  about  the  middle  of  No- 
vember from  Wills'  Creek,  then  an  extreme  frontier  settlement, 
and  through  an  unexplored  tract  of  morasses  and  forests,  over 
rivers  and  difficult  passages  and  among  hostile  savages,  for 
over  five  hundred  miles  he  pursued  his  dangerous  journey. 
After  many  hardships  he  at  last  reached  the  Monongahela, 
where  he  learned  that  the  French  General  was  dead  and  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  army  had  retired  to  winter  quarters. 
Here,  after  spending  a  few  days  among  friendly  Indians,  he 
wisely  secured  the  services  of  some  of  their  chiefs,  who  guided 
him  to  the  fort  at  French  Creek,  where  he  found  the  command- 
ing officer  on  the  Ohio.  Delivering  his  letters,  in  three  or  four 
days  he  received  an  official  reply,  and  immediately  set  out  oft 
his  return.  Finding  the  snow  deep  and  his  horses  weakened 
with  fatigue,  he  determined  to  pursue  his  way  on  foot,  and 
leaving  the  luggage,  provisions  and  horses  with  the  remainder 
of  the  expedition,  he  took  his  necessary  papers,  a  gun  and  pack, 
and  set  out  on  foot  with  a  single  companion.  It  soon  became 
evident  that  their  journey  was  not  to  be  without  dangerous  in- 
cidents, for  on  the  next  day  they  fell  in  with  a  party  of  French 
Indians,  one  of  whom  fired  upon  them.  Taking  this  Indian 
prisoner,  they  kept  him  with  them  until  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  when  they  released  him  and  walked  without  stopping 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  15 

all  thp  rest  of  the  night,  in  order  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of 
pursuit. 

When  they  again  reached  the  Alleghany  River  the  ice  was 
drifting  down  the  stream  with  dangerous  rapidity,  which  neces- 
sitated building  a  raft  to  cross.  All  day  they  worked  to  launch 
a  poor,  frail  construction  of  logs  and  grape  vine,  and  just  as 
night  was  closing  down  they  ventured  on  it  into  the  stream. 
In  this  perilous  voyage  "Washington  was  thrown  into  the  water, 
from  which  with  great  difficulty  he  rescued  himself  by  clam- 
bering on  the  logs.  Passing  the  night  on  an  island,  without 
fire,  they  next  morning  found  the  river  frozen  over,  and  com- 
pleted their  crossing  on  the  ice. 

The  answer  of  the  French  commandant  was  entirely  unsatis- 
factory, as  it  indicated  no  disposition  to  withdraw  from  the  dis- 
puted territory.  It  was  thereupon  determined  by  the  Assembly 
of  Virginia  to  maintain  by  force  the  rights  of  the  British  Crown. 
Immediate  action  was  taken  on  the  defiant  attitude  of  the 
French,  and  a  regiment  of  three  or  four  hundred  men  was 
raised  and  the  command  given  to  Mr.  Fry,  while  Washington 
was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel.  Desirous  to  engage  in  active 
service,  and  take  as  early  measures  as  possible  in  defense  of  the 
colony,  Washington  obtained  permission  to  march  in  advance 
of  the  other  troops  to  Great  Meadows.  On  reaching  this  place 
he  learned  from  the  friendly  Indians  that  a  party  of  the  French 
were  encamped  in  a  valley  a  few  miles  to  the  west.  The  night 
was  dark  and  rainy,  and  entirely  concealed  the  movements  of 
the  troops.  They  surrounded  the  French  camp  and  took  it 
completely  by  surprise.  The  commanding  officer  was  killed. 

Soon  after  this  affair  Colonel  Fry  died,  and  the  command  of 
the  regiment  devolved  upon  Washington,  who  speedily  collected 
forces  at  Great  Meadows  to  the  number  of  four  hundred  men. 
A  small  stockade  was  erected,  called  Fort  Necessity,  in  which 
a  few  soldiers  were  stationed  to  guard  the  horses  and  provisions, 
while  the  main  body  moved  forward  to  dislodge  the  French 
from  Fort  Duquesne.  They  had  not  proceeded  more  than 
thirteen  miles  when  they  were  informed  by  friendly  Indians 
that  the  French,  as  numerous  as  pigeons  in  the  woods,  were  ad- 
vancing in  a  hostile  manner  toward  the  English  settlements, 


16  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

and  also  that  Fort  Duquesne  had  been  strongly  reinforced .  This 
was  a  great  surprise  and  disappointment  to  Washington,  and  in 
the  critical  situation  it  was  resolved  to  retreat  to  Great 
Meadows,  and  every  exertion  was  made  to  render  Fort  Neces- 
sity strong  enough  to  resist  an  attack.  Before  the  completion 
of  the  works,  however,  the  fort  was  attacked  by  a  considerable 
force,  the  assailants  being  protected  by  trees  and  high  grass. 
The  Americans  received  them  with  great  bravery,  and  Wash- 
ington distinguished  himself  by  his  coolness  and  military  skill. 
After  an  entire  day's  fierce  engagement  the  French  general  de- 
manded a  parley  and  offered  terms  of  capitulation.  These  were 
refused,  but  others  were  offered  and  accepted  during  the  night. 
The  fort  was  surrendered  on  condition  that  Washington  and  his 
soldiers  should  march  out  with  the  honors  of  war,  retaining 
their  arms  and  baggage,  and  proceed  without  molestation 
to  the  Virginia  settlements.  On  their  return  a  public  vote  of 
thanks  was  tendered  to  Washington  and  the  officers  under  his 
command  for  their  conduct  in  the  affair,  and  three  hundred 
pistoles  in  silver  were  distributed  among  the  soldiers. 

The  dispute  with  the  French  in  respect  to  the  Ohio  lands, 
which  commenced  in  Virginia,  was  vigorously  taken  up  in 
England,  and  two  regiments  were  at  once  ordered  to  America 
to  maintain  the  claim  of  the  British  Crown  to  the  territory  in 
dispute.  These  troops  arrived  in  the  early  part  of  1755,  under 
the  command  of  General  Braddock,  who  invited  Washington  to 
serve  during  the  campaign  as  a  volunteer  aide-de-camp.  This 
invitation  he  at  once  accepted,  and  joined  the  regiment  on  its 
march  to  Fort  Cumberland.  At  this  post  the  expedition  was 
unfortunately  detained  until  near  the  middle  of  June,  waiting 
for  teams  and  army  stores,  and  by  the  tune  they  were  ready  to 
march  Washington  was  prostrated  by  a  serious  illness,  but, 
with  his  characteristic  spirit,  he  refused  to  remain  at  the  fort, 
and  accompanied  the  army  in  a  covered  wagon.  The  object  of 
the  campaign  being  to  capture  Fort  Duquesne  by  a  rapid  march 
and  possible  surprise,  Washington  advised  the  general  to  leave 
his  heavy  artillery  and  baggage  behind,  and  to  press  forward 
with  a  chosen  body  of  troops  as  expeditiously  as  possible.  This 
advice  being  adopted,  twelve  hundred  men  were  selected,  to  be 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON.  17 

commanded  by  General  Braddock  in  person,  and  to  advance 
with  the  utmost  dispatch.  But,  much  to  the  disappointment  of 
Washington,  the  inarch  was  not  made  with  the  speed  or  caution 
the  exigencies  of  the  case  required.  Writing  to  his  brother, 
Washington  said  :  ''I  found  that  instead  of  pushing  on  with 
vigor,  without  regarding  a  little  rough  road,  they  were  halting 
to  level  every  molehill  and  to  erect  bridges  over  every  brook." 
At  Little  Meadows  Washington  -was  so  overcome  by  sickness 
that  he  had  to  remain  behind  for  a  few  days  until  the  arrival  of 
Colonel  Dunbar  with  the  remainder  of  the  army.  He  again 
reached  the  main  army  on  the  day  before  that  eventful  battle  in 
our  early  history.  This  was  on  the  9th  of  July,  when  General 
Braddock,  having  crossed  the  Monongahela  River,  was  pressing 
forward  to  Fort  Duquesne  without  caution  or  preparation  to 
prevent  surprise.  Earnestly  Washington  expostulated  with 
him,  and  explained  to  him  the  peculiar  warfare  of  the  wily 
savage,  but  to  this  advice  of  the  colonial  militia  officer  the  vain 
and  arrogant  Braddock  gave  a  contemptuous  reply  that  he  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  French  or  Indians,  and  that  he  commanded 
British  troops  whose  bravery  and  tactics  were  superior  to  that 
of  any  savage  foe.  Thus  he  marched  his  troops  on  without  a 
single  scout  until  within  a  few  miles  of  Fort  Duquesne,  when 
suddenly  they  fell  into  that  terrible  and  deadly  ambush  so 
familiar  to  history  as  one  of  the  most  stupid  and  obstinate 
blunders  ever  made  by  a  military  man.  Here  the  hidden  foe 
of  French  and  Indians  in  the  high  grass  and  behind  trees  poured 
MI  air  deadly  volleys  of  musketry  into  the  broken  and  disordered 
ranks,  and  with  dead  and  dying  strewing  the  ground  in  every 
direction,  the  greatest  consternation  prevailed,  and  officers  and 
soldiers  alike  went  down  or  fled,  unable  to  see  or  fight  thr:r  foe. 
Washington  and  his  Virginia  militia  alone  were  cool,  and  they 
alone  saved  the  remnant  of  the  British  army  from  entire  de- 
struction. Skilled  in  the  Indian  mode  of  warfare,  the  Virginia 
troops  took  to  the  shelter  of  the  trees,  and  by  their  well-directed 
fire  held  the  savages  in  check  and  stopped  the  relentless  pursuit 
and  butchery.  Braddock  was  soon  shot  down,  and  the  entire 
defense  devolved  on  Washington,  who  rode  through  the  hottest 
of  the  engagement  and  had  two  horses  killed  under  him  and 


18  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


four  bullets  passed  through  his  coat.     It  seems  indeed 
dential  interposition  that  saved  him  from  the  fate  of  those 
around  him. 

Never  before  was  an  army  more  completely  surprised  in  day- 
light, or  thrown  into  greater  dismay  or  disorder.  A  thousand 
deadly  bullets  were  whistling  through  the  forest,  and  hundreds 
of  panic-stricken  soldiers  writhed  in  death  agonies.  This  was 
the  fearful  surprise,  the  awful  ambush  against  which  Washing- 
ton had  continually  warned  Braddock,  who  had  time  in  his 
dying  agonies,  while  being  carried  to  the  camp  of  Dunbar,  to 
realize  his  fatal  mistake,  if  he  did  not  even  fully  realize  it  on  the 
field  of  his  terrible  defeat,  while  Washington's  heroic  deeds 
upon  that  bloody  field  stand  out  as  one  of  the  brightest  pages  of 
his  renown. 

Intelligence  of  the  defeat  of  Braddock  and  of  the  withdrawal 
of  the  regular  forces  from  Virginia  arrived  while  the  Assembly 
of  that  colony  was  still  in  session,  and,  realizing  that  the  de- 
fense of  the  frontier  settlements  depended  on  them,  they  at  once 
resolved  to  raise  a  regiment  of  sixteen  companies.  The  com- 
mand of  this  was  given  to  Washington,  with  authority  to  name 
the  field  officers. 

In  executing  the  duties  of  his  office,  Washington  visited  the 
frontiers  nnd  made  the  best  disposition  of  the  few  men  he  found 
in  the  various  posts.  But  he  had  not  even  reached  Williams- 
burg  when  he  was  overtaken  by  a  messenger  with  information 
that  the  back  settlements  had  been  broken  up  by  the  French 
and  Indians,  who  were  burning  their  houses,  devastating  their 
crops,  murdering  and  leading  into  captivity  the  men,  women 
and  children.  The  few  troops  stationed  on  the  frontiers  were 
unable  to  render  them  any  assistance,  but  retired  for  their  own 
safety  to  the  stockade  forts.  The  condition  of  the  people  of  the 
settlements  was  awful  to  contemplate,  and  in  their  farms  and 
villages  they  lay  down  every  night  with  the  fear  of  a  cruel 
death  or  a  more  cruel  bondage  continually  before  them.  The 
people,  pitiful  in  their  helpless  condition,  looked  to  Washington 
for  the  protection  he  was  unable  to  give.  The  difficulty  of  rais- 
ing a  large  number  of  men,  and  the  inability  of  a  small  number 
to  protect  the  extensive  frontiers  cf  Virginia,  were  ccntinu;  i 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  19 

sources  of  anxiety  and  distress.  The  cruel  and  relentless  sav- 
ages made  no  distinction  in  their  warfare.  They  slew  the  women 
and  children,  the  aged  and  the  helpless,  as  well  as  the  men  they 
found  in  arms.  No  human  pen  can  record  the  horrors  suffered 
by  the  people  of  the  Virginia  frontier.  The  awful  scenes  wit- 
nessed by  Washington  caused  him  at  one  time  to  write  to  the 
Governor  of  the  province  as  follows  : 

''The  supplicating  tears  of  the  women  and  moving  petitions 
of  the  men  melt  me  into  such  deadly  sorrow  that  I  solemnly 
declare  I  could  offer  myself  a  willing  sacrifice  to  the  butcher- 
ing enemy,  could  that  contribute  to  the  people's  ease." 

During  all  this  time  Washington  was  indefatigable  in  repre- 
senting to  the  Governor  the  wretched  condition  of  the  frontiers 
and  the  great  defects  of  the  existing  mode  of  defense.  He 
strongly  advised  the  reduction  of  Fort  Duquesne,  the  lurking- 
place  and  stronghold  of  the  savages,  as  the  only  means  of  effect- 
ually restoring  security  to  the  frontier  settlements.  In  case  this 
measure  was  not  adopted  he  advised  that  twenty-two  forts, 
extending  in  a  line  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  should  be 
erected  and  garrisoned  by  two  thousand  men  in  constant  pay 
and  service.  In  the  autumn  of  1758,  to  the  great  joy  of  Wash- 
ington, an  expedition  was  fitted  out  against  Fort  Duquesne,  but 
on  reaching  the  fort  they  found  that  the  garrison  had  deserted 
it  and  retreated  down  the  Ohio.  The  allies  of  the  Indians  having 
departed,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  soon  made  with  the  tribes. 
Fort  Duquesne  was  repaired  and,  under  the  name  of  Fort  Pitt, 
was  garrisoned  with  two  hundred  men  from  Washington's  regi- 
ment, and  for  a  time  the  occupation  of  war  was  at  an  end. 

The  great  object  of  his  wishes  having  been  thus  happily  ac- 
complished, Washington  resigned  his  commission  and  ended  his 
career  as  a  provincial  officer.  This  retirement  from  public  life 
was  soon  followed  by  a  very  happy  event— that  of  his  marriage 
to  Mrs.  Martha  Custis,  a  young  and  beautiful  lady  of  accomplish- 
ments and  most  amiable  character.  Retiring  to  the  estate  at 
Mount  Vernon,  which  had  descended  to  him  from  his  brother 
Lawrence,  he  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  the  business  of 
agriculture,  and  became  one  of  the  greatest  landholders  in  North 
America,  His  Mount  Vernon  estate  alone  consisted  ef  nine 


20  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

thousand  acres,  and  his  domestic  and  farming  establishments 
were  composed  of  nearly  a  thousand  persons.  Here  in  this 
beautiful  and  quiet  retreat  it  is  probable  he  passed  the  happiest 
years  of  his  life,  full  of  the  sweetest  domestic  joy  and  content. 
Here  Washington,  in  his  retirement  from  active  public  services, 
had  every  opportunity  to  store  his  mind  with  the  rich  and  varied 
knowlc  dge  which  in  after  years  so  eminently  fitted  him  for  the 
leadership  of  a  freedom  loving  people.  But  even  here  he  was 
not  entirely  free  from  public  duties.  He  served  the  people  as 
judge  of  a  county  court  and  as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Bur 
gesses  of  his  native  province,  in  which  positions  he  secured  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  constituents  by  the  firmness  and 
propriety  of  his  conduct  and  the  uniform  good  sense  of  his 
counsels.  While  in  this  latter  situation  he  took  an  active  part 
in  opposition  to  the  action  of  the  British  Parliament  in  taxing 
the  American  colonies.  He  was  elected  a  Representative  to  t!  e 
first  Congress,  which  met  at  Philadelphia  in  1774,  and  was  the 
active  member  of  all  the  committees  on  military  affairs. 

This  now  brings  us  to  the  grand  culminating  point  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  country  and  the  public  career  of  Washington.  The 
greatest  principles  that  ever  influenced  human  action  were 
about  to  shake  the  world  in  revolution,  and  the  sublime  spec- 
tacle of  a  mere  handful  of  freemen  opposing  the  despotic  will 
of  Great  Britain  was  to  be  presented  to  an  interested  and  ad- 
miring world.  Such  an  example  of  lofty  courage  and  integrity 
of  purpose  could  nowhere  else  be  found  on  the  pages  of  human 
history.  The  British  Cabinet  resolved  to  force  the  colonists  into 
the  submission  of  slaves  or  to  destroy  them.  But  the  lordly 
power  of  England  had  "reckoned  without  her  host."  The  pa- 
triots of  America  were  made  of  sterner  stuff,  and  the  elements 
of  enduring  manhood  were  as  deep  and  strong  in  them  as  ever 
it  had  been  in  the  most  heroic  Greek  or  Roman  of  the  classic 
age. 

When  the  commencement  of  hostilities  made  it  necessary  to 
appoint  a  commander-in-chief  of  the  American  forces,  George 
Washington  was  unanimously  elected  to  the  office.  On  receiv- 
ing from  the  President  of  Congress  official  notice  of  this  appoint- 
ment he  addressed  that  honorable  and  patriotic  body  as  follows  , 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON. 


ai 


''  Mr.  President,  although  I  am  truly  sensible  of  the  high  honor  done  me  in 
this  appointment,  yet  I  feel  great  distress  from  a  consciousness  that  my 
abilities  acd  military  experience  may  not  be  equal  to  the  extensive  and  im- 
portant trust.  However,  as  the  Congress  desire  it,  I  will  enter  upon  the 
momentous  duty  and  exert  every  power  I  possess  in  their  service  and  for 
support  of  the  glorious  cause.  I  beg  they  will  accept  my  most  cordial  thanks 
for  this  distinguished  testimony  of  their  approval.  But  lest  some  unlucky 
event  should  happen  unfavorable  to  my  reputation,  I  beg  it  may  be  remem- 
bered by  every  gentleman  in  the  room  that  I  this  day  declare,  with  the  ut- 
most sincerity,  I  do  not  think  myself  equal  to  the  command  I  am  honored 
with.  As  to  the  pay,  sir.  I  beg  leave  to  assure  the  Congress  that  as  no  pecu- 
niary consideration  could  have  tempted  me  to  accept  this  arduous  employ- 
ment, at  the  expense  of  my  domestic  ease  and  happiness,  I  do  not  wish  to 
make  any  profit  from  it.  I  will  keep  an  exact  account  of  my  expenses ;  those 
I  doubt  not  they  will  discharge,  and  that  is  all  I  desire." 

A  special  commission  was  made  out  for  him,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  unani- 
mous resolution  was 
adopted  by  Congress 
"that  they  would 
maintain  and  assist 
him,  and  adhere  to 
him  with  their  lives 
and  fortune,  for  the 
maintenance  and 
preservation  of 
American  liberty." 

Washington  a  t 
once  prepared  to 
enter  upon  the  duties 
of  his  position,  and 
taking  a  hasty  leave 
of  his  family  and 
passing  a  few  days 
in  New  York,  arranging  some  military  details  with  General 
Schuyler,  in  command  of  the  post,  he  proceeded  to  Cam- 
bridge, the  headquarters  of  the  American  army.  On  his 
way  thither  he  received  from  individuals  and  public  bodies  the 
most  flattering  attention  and  the  strongest  promises  of  support 
and  assistance.  A  commiti.ee  of  the  Massachusetts  Congress 


THE  OLD  ELM 


I'l  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

met  him  at  Springfield,  about  one  hundred  miles  from  Boston, 
and  conducted  him  to  the  army,  and  under  the  historic  old  elm 
at  Cambridge  George  Washington  took  command  of  the  Conti- 
nental forces. 

Immediately  after  his  arrival  the  Congress  presented  him  an 
address,  in  which  they  expressed  their  approbation  of  his  ap- 
pointment and  the  great  respect  and  affection  they  entertained 
for  him.  His  reply  was  well  calculated  to  increase  these  senti- 
ments. He  returned  the  warmest  acknowledgments  of  their 
kindness,  and  promised  ever  to  retain  it  in  grateful  remem- 
brance. In  the  course  of  this  reply  he  observed  : 

"  In  exchanging  the  enjoyments  of  domestic  life  for  the  duties  of  my  pres- 
ent honorable  but  arduous  situation,  I  only  emulate  the  virtue  and  pubiic 
spirit  of  the  whole  province  of  Massachusetts,  which,  with  a  firmness  and 
patriotism  without  example,  has  sacrificed  all  the  comforts  of  social  and 
political  life  in  support  of  the  rights  of  mankind  and  the  welfare  of  our  com- 
mon country.  My  highest  ambition  is  to  be  the  happy  instrument  of  vindi- 
cating these  rights,  and  to  see  this  devoted  province  again  restored  to  peace, 
liberty  and  safety." 

On  reaching  the  camp  the  first  movements  of  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  were  directed  to  an  examination  of  the  strength  and 
situation  of  his  forces.  They  amounted  to  about  fifteen  thou- 
sand poorly  armed  and  undisciplined  militia,  occupying  several 
posts  in  an  extent  of  about  tw.  Ive  miles.  Some  were  stationed 
at  Roxbury,  some  at  Cambridge  and  some  on  Winter  and  Pros- 
pect Hills,  in  front  of  Bunker  Hill.  A  few  companies  were 
posted  in  the  towns  about  Boston  Bay,  which  were  most  ex- 
posed to  attacks  from  British  armed  vessels.  The  troops  were 
not  sufficiently  numerous  to  defend  so  large  an  extent  of  coun- 
try, but  it  was  difficult  to  make  a  more  compact  arrangement. 
The  British  army  was  posted  in  three  divisions.  The  main 
body,  under  General  Howe,  was  intrenching  itself  on  Bunker 
Hill,  near  Charlestown;  another  division  was  stationed  on  Copp's 
Hill,  and  the  third  was  strongly  intrenched  and  fortified  on 
Roxbury  Neck,  and  light  horse  and  infantry  were  stationed  in 
Boston.  The  strength  of  the  British  forces  was  augmented  by 
their  war  ships  which  floated  defiantly  in  the  harbor. 

The  situation  was  certainly  a  discouraging  one  to  the  Ameri- 
cans. In  comparison  to  the  British  regulars  their  array  was 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  23 

miserably  provided  with  munitions  of  war.  The  supply  of  amu- 
nition  would  not  have  given  each  soldier  a  dozen  rounds,  and, 
to  add  still  more  difficulties  to  the  situation,  the  army  was  with- 
out discipline,  and  being  enlisted  for  only  a  short  time  they 
were  not  submissive  to  the  commands  of  their  officers.  This 
was  the  material  Washington  had  to  mould  into  the  defense  of 
the  country.  But  with  great  labor  and  skill  he  brought  the 
army  up  to  a  better  condition,  having  actually  reorganized  his 
forces  in  front  of  the  enemy. 

General  Gage,  who  was  in  command  of  the  British  forces, 
whose  numbers  at  that  time  amounted  to  some  eight  or  ten 
thousand  men,  had  devoted  his  exertions  principally  to  self- 
defense,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  few  skirmishes  both  armies 
had  been  industriously  engaged  in  strengthening  their  fortifica- 
tions. But  this  inactive  condition  of  things  was  unsatisfactory 
to  Washington,  who  believed  that  active  operations  should  be 
undertaken  to  destroy  the  British  army  in  Boston  before  it  was 
reinforced,  and  before  the  resources  of  the  colonies  should  be 
entirely  exhausted. 

After  frequently  reconnoitering  the  situation  of  the  enemy 
Washington  was  of  opinion  that  their  works  could  be  carried  by- 
storm.  This  proposition,  however,  was  opposed  by  a  council  of 
war  as  a  dangerous  risk  which  might  involve  the  capture  or  de- 
struction of  the  army  and  ruin  the  cause.  The  original  plan  of 
continuing  the  blockade  was  therefore  decided  upon  as  the 
safest. 

During  t  he  autumn  the  Americans  made  gradual  approaches  to- 
ward the  British  posts,  and  the  strength  of  the  army  was  in- 
creased by  the  arrival  of  about  fifteen  hundred  soldiers  from 
Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  and,  to  add  to  the  condition  of  the 
army,  a  British  ordinance  ship  completely  laden  with  military 
stores  was  captured  by  an  American  privateer  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Manly.  At  this  time  a  serious  and  almost  fatal 
mistake  was  made  as  to  the  time  of  enlistment  of  the  troops.  A 
Committee  of  Congress  was  appointed  in  September  to  visit  the 
camp  at  Cambridge  and  confer  with  the  chief  magistrates  of 
the  northern  colonies,  and  the  Council  of  Massachusetts,  on  the 
continuance  and  regulation  of  the  C/pntinental  army.  The  re- 


24  LIVES  Of  OUR  ^RESIDENTS; 

suit  of  this  conference  was  that  the  new  army  should  consist  of 
twenty  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-two  men  to  serve 
till  the  last  day  of  December.  Washington,  realizing  that  the 
term  of  enlistment  was  too  short,  called  upon  the  soldiers  and 
officers  to  make  their  election  whether  to  retire  or  remain  with 
the  army.  This  naturally  led  to  difficulties  in  effecting  the  re- 
enlistment.  Many  were  unwilling  to  continue  in  the  army  on 
any  terms,  some  required  leave  of  absence  to  visit  their  fami- 
lies, and  others  were  in  doubt  as  to  what  course  to  pursue.  To 
remove  this  di- affection  Washington  resolved  to  appeal  directly 
to  the  pride  and  patriotism  of  both  officers  and  men,  and  in  a 
general  order  issued  October  20th  he  said  : 

"  The  times  and  the  importance  of  the  great  cause  we  are  engaged  in  allow 
no  room  for  hesitation  and  delay.    When  life,  liberty  and  property  are  at 
stake;  when  our  country  is  in  danger  of  being  a  melancholy  scene  of  blood- 
shed and  desolation;  when  our  towns  are  laid  in  ashes,  innocent  women  and 
children  driven  from  their  peaceful  habitations,  exposed  to  the  rigors  of  an 
ui_lempnt  seas' n  to  depend  on  the  hand  of  charity  for  support;  when  ca- 
urnitics  like  these  are  staring  us  in  the  face,  and  a  bru: a),  savage  enemy 
thn-atens  us  and   everything  we  hold  dear  with  destruction  from  foreign 
P=  i  lit  le  becomes  the  character  of  a  soldier  to  shrink  from  danger  and 
"ndition  for  new  terms.    It  is  the  general's  intention  to  indulge  Doth  officers 
.,  .  *  Idlers,  who  compose  the  new  army,  with  furloughs  for  a  reasonable 
irae;  but  tbis  must  be  done  In  such  a  manner  as  not  to  injure  the  service  or 
weaken  the  army  too  much  at  once  " 

This  appeal  of  Washington's  had  a  beneficial  effect  upon 
many,  but  still  the  new  regiments  did  not  fill  as  rapidly  as  had 
been  expected.  Many  of  the  old  troops  whose  term  of  service 
had  expired  were  eager  to  return  home,  while  the  new  troops 
were  slow  in  coming  in.  This  condition  of  things  often  left  the 
American  lines  in  a  defenseless  state,  and  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances were  such  that  Washington,  in  a  communication  to 
Congress,  wrote  as  follows  :  "It  is  not  in  the  pages  of  history 
to  furnish  a  case  like  ours.  To  maintain  a  post  within  musket- 
shot  of  the  enemy  for  six  months  together  without  ammunition, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  disband  one  army  and  recruit  another 
within  that  distance  of  twenty  odd  British  regiments,  is  more, 
probably,  than  ever  was  attempted." 

The  regular  force  engaged  for  the  year  now  amounted  to 
about  fifteen  thousand  men,  and  the  militia  to  about  six  thou- 


GfiOJJGE    WASHINGTON. 


sand.  The  troops  being  in  good  condition,  Washington  now 
determined  to  begin  active  operations.  His  plan  was  to  take 
possession  of  Dorchester  Heights,  and  by  fortifying  them  com- 
mand Boston  and  the  harbor.  To  secretly  effect  the  occupation 
a  heavy  bombardment  of  the  town  and  lines  of  the  enemy  was 
begun  on  the  night  of  the  2d  of  March,  1776,  and  continued  on 
the  two  succeeding  nights.  This  so  engaged  the  attention  of 
the  enemy  that  on  the  night  of  the  4th  a  detachment  of  troops 
under  command  of  General  Thomas  crossed  the  neck  from  Rox- 
bury  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  Heights,  ^ffiBftjjLffi  !  fe^te 
and  by  working  hard 
all  night  in  the  frozen 
ground,  they  had  by 
daylight  a  fort 
bristling  with  cannon 
looking  down  on  the 
enemy's  vessels  of 
war.  In  hope  of  dis-  I 
lodging  the  patriots 
the  British  admiral 
opened  a  heavy  fire-  _' 
on  the  works,  but  in 
spite  of  his  broadsides 
the  fortifications  con- 
tinued to  grow  until 
the  fleet's  fire  was 
wholly  wasted  on  them.  The  tremendous  cannonading  from 
the  fleet  and  British  forts  in  Boston  on  the  morning  when  they 
discovered  that  the  Americans  were  in  possession  of  the  heights, 
is  described  as  follows  by  a  writer  on  the  scene  : 

"  Cannon  shot  are  continually  rolling  and  rebounding  over  the  hill,  and  it 
is  astonishing  to  observe  how  little  our  soldiers  are  terrified  by  them.  During 
the  forenoon  we  were  in  momentary  expectation  of  witnessing  an  awful 
scene;  nothing  less  than  the  carnage  of  Breed's  Hill  battle  was  expected. 
The  royal  troops  are  perceived  to  be  in  motion,  as  if  embarking  to  pass  the 
harbor  and  lard  on  Dorchester  shore  to  attack  our  works.  The  hills  and 
elevations  in  this  vicinity  are  covered  with  spectators  to  witness  deeds  of 
horror  in  the  expected  conflict.  His  Excellency  General  Washington  is 


DORCHESTER     HEISHTS. 


26  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

present,  animating  and  encouraging  the  soldiers,  and  they,  in  their  turn, 
manifest  their  joy  and  express  a  warm  desire  for  the  approach  of  the  enemy. 
Each  man  knows  his  place  and  is  resolute  to  execute  his  duty." 

In  expectation  of  dislodging  the  Americans,  General  Howe 
determined  to  attack  the  Heights,  and  ordered  three  thousand 
men  on  this  service,  but  ere  they  could  make  a  landing  a  storm 
dispersed  them,  and  before  they  could  again  proceed  the  Ameri- 
can works  were  in  such  a  state  of  security  as  to  discourage  any 
attempt  against  them. 

The  British  were  now  in  a  peculiar  position,  and,  realizing  that 
their  fleet  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  Americans,  they  resolved  to 
evacuate  Boston  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  were  glad  to  leave 
the  town  uninjured  provided  Washington  would  not  fire  on 
their  fleet.  A  communication  to  this  effect  from  the  Selectmen 
of  Boston  to  Washington  secured  the  assurance  of  his  good 
wishes  for  the  safety  of  the  town,  and  of  his  intention  to  allow 
the  fleet  to  pass  unmolested  if  they  did  not  fire  upon  Boston. 
Thus,  on  the  17th  of  March  the  British  army  embarked  on  their 
ships,  and  as  they  went  down  the  harbor  the  Americans  tri- 
umphantly marched  into  Boston  in  great  exultation  over  their 
bloodless  victory. 

Throughout  the  entire  war  there  was  not  a  more  glorious  vic- 
tory, or  one  of  such  importance  secured  at  so  little  sacrifice  ; 
and  to  the  final  success  of  American  arms  must  be  greatly  at- 
tributed this  early  dislodgment  of  the  British  from  a  harbor 
which,  once  strongly  fortified  by  them,  would  have  been  held, 
and  perhaps  been  one  of  the  means  of  our  ultimate  subjugation. 

It  being  evident  that  the  destination  of  the  fleet  and  British 
army  was  New  York,  Washington  at  once  prepared  to  send  a 
part  of  his  forces  to  that  town  to  hold  it,  if  possible,  against  the 
expected  occupation  by  the  enemy.  Entering  Boston  with  the 
remainder  of  his  gallant  army,  the  Commander-in-Chief  was 
received  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  and  delight  by  the  in- 
habitants, while  Congress  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  and  ordered 
a  medal  struck  to  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  the  event. 

After  remaining  in  Boston  long  enough  to  provide  for  the 
safety  of  the  town,  Washington  marched  with  the  main  army 
to  NQW  York,  and  made  every  preparation  for  the  defense  of 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  $fl 

this  important  position.  In  these  labors  the  Americans  were 
incessantly  engaged  until  June,  when  the  British  fleets  arrived 
at  Sandy  Hook,  and  with  their  powerful  army,  which  had  been 
reinforced,  took  possession  of  Staten  Island.  From  there  Gen- 
eral Howe  sent  a  letter  by  a  flag,  directed  to  "  George  Washing- 
ton, Esq."  This  the  General  refused  to  receive,  as  it  did  not 
recognize  the  public  character  with  which  he  had  been  invested 
by  Congress.  After  again  addressing  him  in  the  same  manner, 
the  British  commander  was  at  last  compelled  to  address  his 
communication  to  General  George  Washington.  Thus  was  the 
contempt  of  the  British  forced  within  the  limits  of  military 
courtesy. 

At  this  time  the  Declaration  of  Independence  had  just  been 
adopted  by  Congress,  and  the  issue  of  the  war  was  clearly 
defined  for  independence  and  absolute  separation  from  Great 
Britain.  The  effect  of  this  upon  the  American  army  was  highly 
encouraging,  and  added  greatly  to  the  strength  of  the  cause  for 
which  they  were  fighting.  Now,  instead  of  a  mere  contest  for 
their  rights  as  subjects  of  the  British  Crown,  the  deathless  sen- 
timents of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  were  set  forever  in 
the  niche  of  history  on  the  immortal  Fourth  of  July — that  day 
which  lovers  of  freedom  honor  in  all  lands. 

Oa  the  arrival  of  General  Howe  at  Staten  Island  the  American 
army  did  not  consist  of  more  than  ten  thousand  men,  but  the 
number  was  rapidly  augmented  until  by  the  end  of  August  it 
amounted  to  twenty-seven  thousand.  In  the  distribution  of 
this  force  Washington  exercised  such  excellent  military  skill 
that  the  enemy  were  in  doubt,  not  only  as  to  the  number  of  our 
men.  but  also  as  to  the  most  advantageous  point  of  attack.  The 
Americans  were  guarding  every  probable  point  of  debarkation, 
and  in  daily  anticipation  of  attack,  Washington  had  prepared 
the  minds  of  his  men  for  expected  action,  and  in  a  general  or- 
der he  said : 

"  The  time  is  now  at  hand  which  must  probably  determine  whether  Ameri- 
cans are  to  be  freemen  or  slaves  ;  whether  they  are  to  have  any  property 
they  can  call  their  own;  whether  their  houses  and  farms  are  to  be  pillaged 
and  destroyed  and  themselves  consigned  to  a  state  of  wretchedness  from 
which  no  human  efforts  will  deliver  them.  The  fate  of  unborn  millions  will 
uo-.v  depend,  under  God,  on  the  courage  and  conduct  of  this  army.  Our  cruel 


$8  LlVteS   OP  OtTE  PRESIDENTS. 

and  unrelenting  enemy  leaves  us  only  the  choice  of  a  brave  resistance  or  the 
most  abject  submission.  We  have  resolved  to  conquer  or  die.  Our  own,  our 
country's  honor  call  upon  us  for  a  vigorous  and  manly  exertion,  and  if  we 
now  shamefully  fail  we  shall  become  infamous  to  the  whole  world.  Let  us, 
then,  rely  on  the  goodness  of  our  cause  and  on  the  aid  of  the  Supreme  Being, 
in  whose  hands  victory  is,  to  animate  and  encourage  us  to  great  and  noble 
actions.  The  eyes  of  all  our  countrymen  are  now  upon  us,  and  we  shall  have 
their  blessings  and  praises,  if  happily  we  are  the  instruments  of  saving  them 
from  the  tyranny  meditated  against  them.  Let  us,  therefore,  animate  and 
encourage  each  other,  and  show  the  whole  world  that  a  freeman,  contend- 
ing for  liberty  on  his  own  ground,  is  superior  to  any  slavish  mercenary  on 
earth." 

This  order  and  appeal  had  scarcely  been  issued  before  the 
enemy  attacked  the  American  forces  under  the  command  of 
General  Sullivan  on  Long  Island.  The  armies,  fighting  in  de- 
tachments all  day,  occasioned  a  succession  of  small  engagements 
in  which  the  Americans  were  defeated  in  every  quarter.  Their 
greatest  disadvantage  was  a  want  of  experience,  and  they  also 
suffered  from  a  lack  of  discipline.  Night  closed  in  on  them, 
discouraged  and  worn  out  with  fatigue,  with  the  victorious 
enemy  in  front  ready  to  attack  them  at  daylight,  while  the 
British  fleet  was  preparing  to  enter  the  East  River  to  cut  off 
their  retreat.  In  this  disastrous  position  Washington  crossed 
the  East  River  during  the  night,  to  conduct  in  person  the 
evacuation  of  the  island.  By  a  most  Providential  occurrence, 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  heavy  fog  enveloped  Long 
Island  and  enabled  Washington  to  successfully  conduct  a  re- 
treat of  nine  thousand  men,  with  their  baggage,  provisions, 
horses  and  military  stores,  across  a  river  more  than  a  mile  wide, 
and  landed  them  in  New  York  without  material  loss.  So  dense 
was  the  fog  and  of  such  duration,  that  the  enemy  knew  nothing 
of  the  retreat  until  after  the  last  man  was  safely  landed  in  New 
York.  The  entire  retreat  was  under  the  personal  supervision 
of  Washington,  who  remained  among  the  men  until  he  saw  the 
last  of  them  safely  over. 

The  reverse  sustained  by  our  forces  had  a  most  discouraging 
effect  upon  the1  men.  The  great  enthusiasm  of  the  soldiers  for 
the  just  cause  of  their  country  and  liberty  led  them  to  believe 
that  the  skill  and  discipline  of  the  enemy  could  not  prevail 
against  them.  With  the  utmost  confidence  of  victory  they  had 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON.  29 

engaged  the  British  troops,  and  being  thrown  almost  into  con- 
sternation by  their  own  defeat,  they  became  so  dispiriud  and 
so  overrated  the  adroitness  and  skill  of  the  enemy  that  they 
anticipated  nothing  but  defeat  in  every  movement.  "  Our  situ- 
ation," said  Washington  in  a  letter  to  Congress,  "is  truly  dis- 
tressing. The  check  our  detachment  received  on  the  twenty- 
second  ultimo  has  dispirited  too  great  a  proportion  of  our  troops, 
and  filled  their  minds  with  apprehension  and  despair.  The 
militia,  instead  of  calling  forth  their  utmost  efforts  to  a  brave 
and  manly  opposition,  in  order  to  repair  our  losses,  are  dismayed, 
intractable  and  impatient  to  return." 

Washington  had  always  held  the  opinion  that  an  efficient 
army  could  only  be  secured  by  long  enlistments,  and  he  urged 
Congress  to  extend  the  time  of  service,  earnestly  avowing 
to  them  that  the  defense  of  the  public  liberties  was  to  be  in- 
trusted only  to  a  pei-manent  army,  regularly  disciplined.  He 
fully  explained  the  difficulty  of  reducing  militia  and  raw  re- 
cruits to  the  requisite  military  strictness.  This  remonstrance 
had  the  desired  effect,  and  soon  after  Congress  resolved  to  raise 
eighty-eight  battalions  to  serve  during  the  war.  It  was  impor- 
tant, therefore,  to  wear  away  the  present  campaign  with  as 
little  loss  as  possible,  in  order  to  take  the  field  in  the  ensuing 
year  with  a  well  organized  army. 

The  situation  was  one  to  call  forth  all  the  grandest  qualities 
of  Washington's  nature,  and  he  did  what  no  other  mortal  man 
could  have  done — he  held  the  army  together.  Thoroughly  un- 
derstanding the  cri&is,  he  wisely  avoided  an  engagement  and 
resolved  upon  the  evacuation  of  New  York  if  necessary  for  the 
preservation  of  the  troops. 

During  this  time  the  British  commander  was  also  actively 
preparing  to  bring  on  a  general  engagement,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose sent  four  thousand  men  and  five  ships  of  war  up  the  Hud- 
son River,  some  three  miles  above  New  York,  to  cut  off  the  sup- 
plies and  retreat  of  the  Americans.  Works  had  been  thrown 
up  at  this  place  by  the  Americans,  capable  of  defense,  but  upon 
the  landing  of  the  British  our  troops  fell  back  from  their  forti- 
fications, although  two  brigades  had  been  sent  from  the  main 
army  to  support  them.  Believing  that  his  troops  would  make 


30  LIVES    OF  OUR  PBES1DENTS. 

a  brave  resistance,  Washington  rode  at  once  to  the  scene  of  ac- 
tion, where  he  found  the  army  in  full  retreat.  In  the  greatest 
mortification  at  their  want  of  courage,  he  attempted  to  rally 
them,  but  at  the  first  movement  of  the  enemy  they  again  broke 
and  fled  in  disorder.  This  cowardly  action  so  wrought  upon 
the  high  and  noble  spirit  of  Washington  that,  for  the  first  and 
last  time  in  the  history  of  the  war,  despair  overwhelmed  him, 
and  he  turned  his  horse's  head  toward  the  enemy,  determined 
to  seek  an  honorable  death,  and  it  was  only  by  the  friendly  vio- 
lence of  his  aids  that  he  was  turned  from  his  purpose. 

After  this  action  of  the  army  Washington  realized  the  imme- 
diate necessity  of  evacuating  New  York.  This  he  happily  ac- 
complished with  the  loss  of  only  a  few  men,  although  he  was 
forced  to  leave  behind  all  his  heavy  artillery,  tents  and  most  of 
his  military  stores.  The  departure  of  the  American  troops  was 
immediately  followed  by  the  entry  of  the  British  army,  when 
they  posted  their  troops  in  encampments  across  the  island  in 
front  of  the  Americans,  and  protected  their  flanks  from  front 
to  rear  with  ships  of  war.  The  Americans  were  strongly  posted 
at  Kingsbridge,  which  kept  open  their  communication  with  the 
country.  Another  detachment  also  held  a  fortified  position  on 
the  heights  of  Harlem.  This  post  was  in  sight  of  the  British 
lines,  and  the  frequent  skirmishes  between  them  and  the  enemy 
were  beneficial  in  giving  the  undisciplined  troops  experience  in 
military  service. 

Scarcely  had  the  Americans  retreated  from  New  York  before 
a  detachment  of  the  enemy's  troops  appeared  in  the  open  space 
between  the  two  camps,  and  Washington  ordered  some  troops, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Knowlton  and  Major  Leitch,  to 
attack  them.  These  officers  displayed  the  utmost  courage  and 
most  soldierly  qualities  in  leading  their  men  in  the  charge,  but 
unfortunately  they  were  both  mortally  wounded.  After  they 
were  borne  from  the  field  their  troops  bravely  continued  the 
attack,  and  drove  the  enemy  from  the  field,  although  the  British 
greatly  outnumbered  them.  This  victory  had  a  most  beneficial 
influence  on  the  army,  and  in  a  general  order  Washington 
praised  the  courage  of  the  officers  and  men  in  contrast  to  the 
cowardly  conduct  of  the  troops  on  the  day  previous,  and  he 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  81' 

appealed  to  the  whole  army  to  remember  and  imitate  the  brave 
example.  To  honor  the  memory  of  the  brave  major  he  gave 
out  the  name  of  ' '  Leitch  "  the  next  day  for  the  parole,  or  coun- 
tersign, and  he  took  occasion  to  say,  in  making  the  appointment 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  the  colonel,  that 
"  the  officer  succeeded  the  gallant  and  brave  Colonel  Knowlton, 
who  would  have  been  an  honor  to  any  country,  and  who  had 
fallen  gloriously  fighting  at  his  post." 

At  this  time  General  Howe  was  prosecuting  his  scheme  for 
cutting  off  Washington's  communication  with  the  Eastern 
States  and  compelling  him  to  a  general  engagement.  But 
Washington  was  too  fully  alive  to  the  vital  interests  of  his 
country  to  risk  all  on  an  unequal  fight,  and  thwarting  the  Brit- 
ish general  in  this  design,  the  latter  then  adopted  a  new  plan  of 
operation,  and  resolved  upon  the  invabion  of  New  Jersey.  About 
the  same  time  Fort  Washington  was  taken  by  storm,  with  the 
loss  of  the  entire  garrison  of  over  two  thousand  men  as  prisoners 
of  war,  together  with  all  their  tents  and  military  stores.  The 
capture  of  Fort  Washington  was  followed  by  the  necessary 
evacuation  of  Fort  Lee,  on  the  Jersey  shore,  leaving  behind  the 
baggage  and  artillery.  These  two  disasters,  and  the  invasion 
of  New  Jersey  by  the  enemy,  made  it  necessary  for  Washington 
and  his  army  to  fall  back  into  that  State,  and  keep  themselves 
in  front  of  the  advancing  foe  to  hold  them  in  check  as  much  as 
possible.  His  first  stand  was  on  the  Hackensack,  and  then  he 
was  forced  to  fall  back  toward  the  Delaware.  So  close  was  the 
pursuit  of  the  British  that  the  skirmishers  of  one  army  entered 
a  village  as  the  rear  guard  of  the  other  was  falling  back  at  the 
other  end.  Washington,  however,  frequently  made  a  show  of 
resistance,  which  halted  the  enemy  and  threw  them  on  the  de- 
fensive, making  their  advance  more  cautious,  as  they  did  not 
know  how  much  Washington's  force  was  being  recruited  in 
New  Jersey.  They  were  not  aware,  however,  that  it  was  one 
of  the  darkest  hours  in  American  history.  General  Howe 
had  issued  a  proclamation  as  commissioner,  commanding 
all  persons  in  arms  against  the  King  to  return  peaceably  to 
their  homes,  and  offering  a  full  pardon  to  all  who  would  sub- 
scribe submission  to  the  royal  authority.  This  was  issued  at  a 


LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


lime  when  the  American  army,  reduced  in  numbers,  worn  oub 
with  fatigue  and  disheartened  by  defeat,  were  fleeing  barefooted 
and  almost  in  rags  before  a  large,  disciplined  body  of  finely- 
armed  troops.  So  great  was  the  despondency  in  New  Jersey 
that  many  wealthy  families  returned  to  their  allegiance  to  the 
Crown.  It  is  probable  that  all  that  sustained  the  cause  was  the 


WASHINGTON  CROSSING    THE  DELAWARE. 

firm  and  unshaken  stand  maintained  by  Congress,  which,  as  the 
hour  grew  darker,  blessed  by  the  memories  of  those  heroes,  was 
only  roused  to  more  vigorous  exertions  for  the  freedom  of  the 
people. 

'vVnshington  had  now  retreated  across  the  Delaware,  and  the 
elated  British  were  only  waiting  for  the  ice  to  form  sufficiently 
to  cross  and  take  possession  of  Philadelphia.  The  American 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  33 

forces  now  consisted  of  about  seven  thousand  men,  although 
during  their  retreat  through  New  Jersey  they  had  scarcely 
amounted  to  half  that  number.  The  British  felt  so  secure,  with 
their  weak  and  fleeing  foe  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  that 
they  relaxed  their  vigilance  and  stationed  their  men  in  a  very 
loose  and  uncovered  manner.  Learning  of  this  unprotected 
situation  of  their  detachments.  Washington,  saying  that  it  was 
the  tune  to  clip  their  wings  when  they  were  so  spread,  formed 
the  bold  plan  of  recrossing  the  Delaware  and  attacking  the  Brit- 
ish posts  on  its  eastern  banks.  This  he  accomplished  during  a 
terrific  storm  at  night,  with  billows  and  ice  almost  crushing  the 
boats  and  actually  preventing  two  out  of  the  three  divisions 
from  effecting  the  crossing.  With  this  main  division  of  a  little 
over  two  thousand  men,  Washington  pushed  rapidly  ahead  to 
Trenton,  where  he  surprised  fifteen  hundred  Hessians  and 
British  light  horse.  So  great  was  their  surprise  that,  after  their 
commanding  officer,  Colonel  Rahl,  was  mortally  wounded,  they 
threw  down  their  arms  and  surrendered  over  nine  hundred 
prisoners,  six  pieces  of  artillery,  a  thousand  stand  of  arms  and 
some  military  stores.  After  this  capture,  Washington  very 
wisely  recrossed  the  Delaware.  After  securing  his  prisoners 
and  giving  his  men  two  or  three  days'  rest,  he  returned  and  took 
possession  of  Trenton.  The  next  day,  however,  Lord  Cornwallis 
moved  forward  with  a  numerous  force  and  drew  up  in  front  of 
Trenton  about  sundown.  Here  the  situation  of  the  Americans 
would  have  been  critical  had  the  British  forced  an  immediate 
engagement,  but  Cornwallis,  feeling  confident  of  capturing  the 
entire  army,  deferred  the  attack  until  the  following  morning. 
Washington  being  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek  which 
ran  through  the  town,  had  strongly  guarded  the  passes,  and 
conceived  the  idea  of  withdrawing  from  his  position  during  the 
night  and  making  a  forced  march  on  the  rear  of  the  detachment 
of  the  enemy  at  Princeton.  To  conceal  his  movement  from 
Cornwallis,  he  had  stationed  guards  to  perform  their  usual 
rounds  until  near  daylight,  and  kept  the  camp  fires  burning  all 
night.  Washington  reached  Princeton  early  in  the  morning, 
and  would  have  completely  surprised  the  Britisli  had  not  three 
of  their  regiments  met  him  on  their  way  to  Cornwallis'  camp. 


34  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

After  a  hot  engagement,  in  which  Washington  bravely  led  his 
troops,  the  British  were  forced  back,  with  a  loss  of  one  hundred 
killed  and  three  hundred  prisoners. 

These  victories  naturally  revived  the  hope's  of  the  American 
army  and  the  entire  country,  and  their  results  were  of  the  ut- 
most importance  to  the  cause.  Philadelphia  was  saved  for  the 
winter,  and  New  Jersey  was  recovered  from  the  control  of  the 
British,  who,  from  the  wholesome  check  they  had  received, 
were  inspired  with  respect,  if  not  even  fear,  for  the  Americans, 
and  they  moved  with  so  much  slowness  and  caution  that  many 
advantages  were  thereby  secured  for  our  army.  The  character 
of  the  Commander-in-Chief  rose  higher  than  ever  in  public  esti- 
mation, and  the  influence  upon  enlistment  was  very  beneficial 
at  the  time.  The  campaign  having  been  carried  into  January, 
it  was  now  advisa  ble  for  the  army  to  go  into  Avinter  quarters, 
which  Washington  selected  at  Morristown,  at  which  place  he 
was  secure  from  molestation  by  the  British,  who  had  an  exag- 
gerated idea  as  to  Washington's  force.  The  remainder  of  the 
winter  was  therefore  passed  with  occasional  skirmishes,  in 
which  the  Americans  were  generally  victorious. 

In  the  spring  Washington  had  much  trouble  and  labor  in  as- 
sembling the  troops  from  the  different  States,  owing  to  a  desire 
of  certain  States,  fearing  invasion,  to  retain  part  of  their  troops 
at  home  for  defense,  and  to  nothing  but  Washington's  great 
personal  influence  is  due  the  successful  reorganization  of  the 
army. 

The  British  opened  the  campaign  about  the  first  of  June,  and 
advanced  their  forces  toward  Philadelphia,  in  Somerset  County, 
New  Jersey,  from  which  position  they  fell  back  to  New  Bruns- 
wick. Washington,  from  a  number  of  advances  and  retreats 
made  by  the  British  without  any  apparent  purpose,  believed 
that  they  intended  to  move  up  the  Hudson  River,  and  to  thwart 
their  probable  oojecfc  he  detached  a  brigade  to  reinforce  the 
Northern  division  of  his  army.  At  this  time  the  cause  of  free- 
dom received  great  encouragement  and  assistance  from  France 
in  the  arrival  of  two  French  vessels  with  twenty-four  thousand 
stand  of  arms,  which  placed  our  army  on  a  more  equal  war 
footing  with  the  enemy.  During  the  month  of  August  Wash- 


GEORGE   WASHINGTO::.  35 

ington  received  information  that  the  British  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  Chesapeake  Bay  and  landed  an  army  near  Philadelphia. 
Washington  at  once  ordered  the  divisions  of  his  army  to  unite 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia,  nnd  called  f  jr  the  militia 
of  the  adjoining  States  to  take  the  field.  In  his  effort  to  rein- 
force the  Northern  army  Washington  had  sent  a  portion  of  his 
own  forces,  and  could  only  muster  about  eleven  thousand  men 
with  whom  to  oppose  the  enemy  in  their  march  upon  Phila- 
delphia. The  two  armies  approached  each  other  on  the  third  of 
September,  and  the  British  troops  advancing,  sought  to  turn 
the  right  of  the  American  army.  To  secure  a  better  position, 
Washington  fell  back  across  the  Brandywine  River  and  posted 
his  troops  on  the  hill  near  Chadd's  Ford,  while  General  Max- 
well, with  his  light  corps,  took  possession  of  the  hills  south  of 
the  river,  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check  if  they  should  approach 
in  that  direction.  The  other  fords  of  the  river  were  guarded 
against  the  attempted  crossing  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  morning  of  the  eleventh  the  British  advanced,  and  one 
column  marched  to  Chadd's  Ford  and  forced  Maxwell's  corps  to 
cross  the  river,  while  the  other  column,  under  Cornwallis,  moved 
up  on  the  west  side  of  the  Brandywine,  and  falling  upon  the 
main  army  of  the  Americans,  drove  them  back  with  a  loss  of 
about  nine  hundred  men.  The  Americans  made  a  creditable 
resistance,  and  retreated  at  night  to  Chester  and  on  the  next 
day  to  Philadelphia.  Washington  took  immediate  steps  to  rein- 
force his  army  for  a  vigorous  defense  of  Philadelphia.  Fifteen 
hundred  men  were  marched  from  Peekskill  and  large  detach- 
ments of  militia  ordered  into  the  field,  and  Washington  again 
marched  upon  the  enemy  and  met  them  about  Lweaty-three 
miles  from  Philadelphia,  but  just  as  he  opened  the  engagement 
a  terrific  storm  arose,  and  such  a  torrent  of  rain  fell  that  the 
ammunition  of  the  Americans  was  ruined,  and  they  were  forced 
to  retreat  to  Warwick's  Furnace  to  refit  their  muskets  and  re- 
plenish their  cartridge  boxes.  The  British  then  moved  rapidly 
toward  Reading,  with  the  intention  of  capturing  Washington's 
military  stores.  To  save  these  the  Americans  took  a  new  po- 
sition, and  leaving  Philadelphia  unprotected,  the  British  tri- 
umphantly entered  that  city  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  month. 


36  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

The  object  of  the  British  was  to  effect  an  open  communica  tion 
through  the  Delaware  with  their  fleet,  but  Washington  for  a 
while  prevented  this  by  erecting  forts  on  both  sides  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  by  obstructing  the  channel  below  the  city.  To  destroy 
these  works,  a  considerable  force  of  British  troops  were  sent, 
which  gave  Washington  a  favorable  opportunity  to  attack  the 
main  body  of  the  enemy.  This  attack  was  well  planned,  and  at 
first  the  Americans  were  successful,  and  routed  the  enemy  in 
two  different  quarteis  and  took  a  number  of  prisoners,  but  a 
heavy  fog  prevented  Washington  from  understanding  his  own 
situation  or  that  of  the  enemy,  and  he  hastily  abandoned  the 
field  and  resigned  a  victory  which  he  had  thought  secure. 
About  this  time  news  was  received  of  the  surrender  of  General 
Burgoyne  and  his  entire  division  of  the  British  army  as  prisoners 
of  war.  This  not  only  greatly  raised  the  hopes  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, but  enabled  a  portion  of  the  Northern  army  to  join  Wash- 
ington, who  then  took  position  at  or  near  White  Marsh.  Sir 
William  Howe  moved  out  to  dislodge  him,  but  finding  the 
Americans  in  too  strong  a  position,  he  fell  back  to  Philadelphia, 
and  soon  after  Washington  retired  into  winter  quarters  at  Valley 
Forge,  where  the  pitiful,  destitute  army  of  patriot  heroes  suf- 
fered cold  and  hunger  and  every  deprivation  while  trying  to 
maintain  their  very  existence  until  spring.  To  add  still  more 
to  Washington's  trials,  great  dissatisfaction  was  raised  through- 
out the  country  at  what  was  claimed  as  his  mismanagement, 
and  there  was  a  clamor  to  supplant  him  in  office  and  raise  Gen- 
eral Gates  to  the  chief  command,  on  account  of  his  successful 
capture  of  Burgoyne's  army.  But  the  counsel  and  judgment  of 
wiser  heads  prevailed,  and  the  only  man  on  American  soil  who 
could  have  carried  our  armies  through  to  victory  was  left  in 
chief  command. 

Soon  after  this  the  cheering  news  was  received  that  France 
had  dispatched  a  fleet  and  army  to  our  aid.  This  had  a  corre- 
spondingly depressing  effect  upon  the  British,  and  Sir  William 
Howe  having  resigned  his  command,  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  his 
successor,  received  immediate  orders  to  evacuate  Philadelphia. 
The  British  general,  deciding  on  a  march  to  New  York,  crossed 
the  Delaware  about  the  middle  of  June,  and  Washington  put 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  37 

his  troops  in  motion  to  harass  his  rear,  and  even  bring  him  to 
a  general  engagement  if  a  favorable  opportunity  was  presented. 
Having  sent  a  detachment  of  troops  to  the  front,  under  com- 
mand of  General  Lee,  to  make  an  attack  to  be  supported  by  the 
main  army,  Washington  came  up  with  the  reserve  to  find  Lee 
in  full  retreat  without  having  struck  a  blow.  This  lost  the  ad- 
vantages which  were  so  inviting  to  the  Americans.  The  troops 
could  not  be  formed  in  position  for  attack  that  night,  and  by 
the  next  morning  the  British  were  nowhere  to  be  seen,  having 
moved  away  in  great  silence  during  the  night,  sustaining  a  loss, 
including  prisoners,  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men. 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth  the  American  army  took 
post  at  White  Plains,  and  remained  there  and  in  the  vicinity 
till  autumn  was  far  advanced,  and  then  retired  to  Middlebrook, 
in  New  Jersey.  During  this  period  only  occasional  skirmishes 
occurred.  The  French  fleet  arrived  too  late  to  attack  the  British 
in  the  Delaware,  and  undertook  to  engage  the  King's  fleet  off 
the  coast  of  Rhode  Island,  but  a  storm  so  injured  both  fleets  that 
the  French  sailed  to  Boston  and  the  British  to  New  York  to  refit. 

With  the  battle  of  Monmouth  active  operations  closed  in  the 
Middle  States,  and  the  American  army  went  into  winter  quar- 
ters in  the  Highlands.  At  the  close  of  1778,  except  the  posses- 
sion of  New  York  by  the  British,  the  local  situation  did  not 
materially  differ  from  that  of  the  commencement  of  the  cam- 
paign of  1776.  For  a  time  the  alliance  with  France  led  the 
people  to  believe  that  our  independence  would  be  achieved  with 
scarcely  any  further  effort  on  our  part.  It  required  much  labor 
on  the  part  of  Washington  to  dispel  this  dangerous  delusion, 
and  it  was  not  until  late  in  January  that  he  prevailed  on  Con- 
gress to  pass  resolutions  for  re-enlisting  the  army.  It  was  also 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  Washington  could  prevent  a 
large  portion  of  the  army  from  throwing  down  their  arms  be- 
cause the  depreciated  Continental  currency  they  received  as 
pay  was  not  sufficient  to  keep  their  wives  and  children  from  the 
point  of  starvation.  The  American  army  in  these  years  was 
destitute  not  only  of  food,  but  of  clothing,  and  it  seems  as  if 
Washington  possessed  supernatural  influence  to  calm  all  the 
disturbing  elements  and  hold  the  army  together. 


SJ8  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

The  effective  force  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  in  1779,  strongly  for- 
tified in  New  York  and  Rhode  Island,  amounted  to  about  six- 
teen thousand  men,  while  that  of  the  Americans  did  not  exceed 
thirteen  thousand.  West  Point  was  the  chief  post  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  to  entice  them  from  this  stronghold  the  British  began 
a  wholesale  system  of  plundering  the  Connecticut  coast  and 
burning  villages  and  farm-houses. 

While  the  British  devastations  were  going  on,  Washington 
planned  an  expedition  against  Stony  Point,  a  bold  hill  on  the 
Hudson,  on  which  the  British  had  built  a  fort  garrisoned  by 
about  six  hundred  men.  The  attack  was  made  by  General 
Wayne,  resulting  in  the  capture  of  the  fort  and  its  defenses. 
This  was  soon  followed  by  the  surprise  of  the  British  garrison 
at  Paulus  Hook,  conducted  by  Major  Henry  Lee,  who,  with 
three  hundred  soldiers,  entered  the  fort  and  carried  away  one 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  prisoners. 

At  this  time  the  Americans  were  awaiting  the  expected  aid 
from  France,  and  thought  best  not  to  hazard  any  decisive  move- 
ments, and  after  a  reduction  of  the  Indians,  by  an  expedition 
under  command  of  General  Sullivan,  the  army  went  into  winter 
quarters  at  Morristown,  where  they  again  suffered  terribly  dur- 
ing the  long  months.  But  notwithstanding  the  situation  of  his 
army,  Washington,  ever  ready  to  sec  his  advantage,  planned  an 
expedition  against  the  British  works  on  Staten  Island,  and  a 
detachment  of  twenty-five  hundred  men,  under  command  of 
Lord  Stirling,  crossed  the  ice  at  Elizabeth  town,  but  the  British 
had  learned  of  the  expedition  and  withdrawn  to  their  fortifica- 
tions, and  the  results  of  the  expedition  consisted  in  a  quantity 
of  blankets  and  military  stores  captured  from  the  enemy. 

Soon  after  this  event  Washington  received  intelligence  of  the 
loss  of  Charleston  and  the  surrender  of  General  Lincoln's  army, 
which  proved  so  depressing  to  the  Americans  that  some  of  the 
troops  actually  announced  their  intention  of  returning  home. 

In  July,  1780,  the  expected  allies  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Rhode 
Island.  Their  fleet  consisted  of  twelve  large  vessels,  five  smaller 
ones,  and  an  army  of  six  thousand  men.  Washington,  soon 
after  their  arrival,  sent  proposals  to  the  French  commander  for 
commencing  the  siege  of  New  York.  This  design  was  suspended 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON.  39 

by  the  return  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  New  York  with  about 
eight  thousand  men,  and  the  arrival  soon  after  of  Admiral 
Rodney  with  eleven  British  war  vessels  upon  the  American 
coast. 

At  this  period  Benedict  Arnold  attempted  the  acts  which  will 
forever  make  his  name  infamous  in  human  history.     Being  in- 


WASHINGTON'S  HEADQUARTERS  AT  NEWBURGH. 

trusted  with  the  command  of  West  Point,  partly  from  motives 
of  avarice,  and  partly  from  feelings  of  revenge  for  some  public 
censures  he  had  received  from  the  Government,  he  determined 
to  deliver  this  post  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  His  attempt 
and  the  results  are  well  known,  and  belong  to  general  history 
rather  than  to  the  biography  of  Washington.  When  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  arrived  at  West  Point,  and  learned  of  the 


40  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS, 

treachery  and  flight  of  Arnold,  he  said :  "  I  thought  that  an 
officer  of  courage  and  ability,  who  had  often  shed  his  blood  for 
his  country,  was  entitled  to  confidence,  and  I  gave  him  mine. 
I  am  convinced  now,  and  for  the  rest  of  my  life,  that  we  should 
never  trust  those  who  are  wanting  in  probity,  whatever  abilities 
they  may  possess." 

The  campaign  of  this  year  ended  with  no  very  decided  effects, 
and  the  army  went  into  winter  quarters.  But  the  year  1781 
opened  with  a  serious  mutiny  among  the  troops  at  Mbrristown, 
and  all  but  three  regiments  paraded  under  arms  without  their 
officers,  supplied  themselves  with  provisions,  and  seizing  six 
pieces  of  artillery,  expressed  their  determination  to  march  to 
Philadelphia  and  demand  of  Congress  the  justice  that  had  so 
long  been  denied  them.  This  insurrection  resulted  in  securing 
the  relief  sought,  but  Washington  severely  dealt  with  the  next 
mutiny. 

In  March,  M.  de  Grasse  having  sailed  from  France  with  a 
fleet,  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  on  the  thirteenth  of  August, 
where  he  was  soon  joined  by  the  French  fleet  from  Rhode  Island 
to  co-operate  with  Washington  and  Count  Rochambeau  on  the 
land.  Washington's  plan  was  to  lay  siege  to  the  post  of  Lord 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  This  plan  of  operation  was  so  well 
digested  and  admirably  executed  that  Washington  and  Count 
Rochambeau  had  passed  the  British  headquarters  at  New  York 
and  were  considerably  advanced  on  their  way  to  Yorktown  be- 
fore the  British  were  aware  of  his  intentions.  Meeting  M.  de 
Grasse  on  board  his  fleet,  the  plan  of  operation  was  agreed 
upon,  and  the  combined  forces  then  proceeded  on  their  way  to 
Yorktown,  where  Washington  began  at  once  ro  encircle  the 
post,  while  the  French  fleet  co-operated  in  the  harbor.  The 
next  morning  Cornwallis  found  himself  surrounded  by  the  bat- 
teries of  the  Americans  and  the  French  fleet  in  the  harbor,  and 
realized  that  he  could  not  escape.  Hastily  he  made  every  effort 
to  strengthen  his  position  and  prepare  to  defend  himself  against 
the  terrific  bombardment  which  was  opened  upon  him.  Day 
after  day  the  fearful  rain  of  death  fell  on  his  army  with  no  hope 
of  relief.  Redoubt  after  redoubt  was  being  carried  by  the  Amer- 
icans and  French,  and  death  and  capture  were  approaching 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  41 

nearer  to  the  doomed  British.  Seeing  that  further  conflict  was 
hopeless,  Cornwallis  yielded  to  the  inevitable,  and  on  the  19th 
of  October,  1778,  surrendered,  and  seven  thousand  British  vet- 
erans laid  down  their  arms  and  became  prisoners  of  war,  and 
their  entire  cannon  and  military  stores  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
victorious  Americans. 

After  the  surrender,  Washington  proved  his  finer  sentiments 
and  delicacy  of  feeling  by  issuing  the  following  request  to  his 
victorious  soldiers  : 

"  My  brave  fellows,  let  no  sensation  of  satisfaction  for  the  triumph  you 
have  gained  induce  you  to  insult  your  fallen  enemy.  Let  no  shouting,  no 
clamorous  huzzaing  increase  their  mortification.  It  is  sufficient  that  we  wit- 
ness their  humiliation.  Posterity  will  huzza  for  us." 

This  great  victory  revived  the  hopes  of  the  country,  and 
greatly  discouraged  the  British  at  the  wonderful  energy  and 
endurance  of  the  Americans.  Congress  marched  in  a  body 
to  church  and  returned  thanks  to  Heaven  for  the  great 
victory. 

After  the  capture  of  Cornwallis, Washington,  with  the  greater 
part  of  his  army,  returned  to  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  and 
turned  his  attention  to  the  plan  of  dislodging  the  British  from 
their  strong  hold  upon  that  important  city.  But  while  he  was 
arranging  to  co-operate  with  the  French  for  this  purpose,  news 
arrived  that  the  discontinuance  of  the  war  had  been  moved  and 
debated  in  the  British  Parliament.  The  expected  approach  of 
peace  relaxed  the  efforts  of  the  States,  and  it  was  impossible  to 
procure  funds  for  the  pay  and  subsistence  of  the  troops,  and 
Washington  was  in  great  fear  of  the  result  of  reducing  the 
army  and  turning  into  the  world  the  men  soured  by  penury  and 
what  they  called  the  ingratitude  of  the  public.  These  appre- 
hensions were  well  founded,  and  when  the  army  went  into 
winter  quarters,  Washington  remained  in  camp  to  watch  and 
control  the  soldiers,  though  there  was  no  probability  of  any 
military  operations  to  require  his  presence. 

Nothing  had  been  decided  by  Congress  in  respect  to  the  claims 
of  the  soldiers,  when  news  arrived  in  March,  1783,  that  Great 
Britain  had  acknowledged  the  independence,  of  the  United 


42  LIVES  OF  OtTR  PRESIDENTS. 

States.  This  intelligence  spread  the  wildest  joy  throughout  the 
entire  country.  Thus  ended  the  war,  eight  years  after  our  land 
had  been  consecrated  to  freedom  by  the  sacred  blood  of  patriots 
shed  at  Lexington,  and  now,  after  the  most  terrible  suffering 
and  deprivation,  and  loss  of  life  and  desolation  of  homes,  the 
country  was  free.  But  the  joy  of  the  army  was  clouded  by 
gloomy  anticipations  of  the  injustice  of  their  country,  and  to 
force  Congress  to  a  settlement  of  their  accounts,  a  meeting  of 
the  officers  was  called  by  anonymous  circulars,  and  every  indi- 
cation was  given  that  a  storm  was  imminent  that  would  destroy 
the  peace  of  the  country.  To  prevent  the  results  which  would 
probably  occur  from  this  inflamed  assemblage,  Washington 
called  a  meeting  of  the  officers  and  made  a  most  touching  ap- 
peal to  them,  which  resulted  in  calming  the  trouble.  The  result 
of  this  meeting  was  communicated  by  Washington  to  Congress, 
accompanied  by  an  impressive  letter,  which  had  the  result  of  se- 
curing from  Congress  satisfactory  resolutions  in  reference  to 
the  pay  of  officers  and  soldiers. 

In  April  the  Commander-in-Chief  issued  to  the  army  his  order 
proclaiming  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  after  which  he  devoted 
his  time  until  November  in  reducing  the  army,  which  was  a 
difficult  measure,  requiring  deliberation.  On  the  second  of  No- 
vember, 1783,  General  Washington  issued  his  farewell  orders  to 
the  armies  of  the  United  States.  In  bidding  them  an  affection- 
ate farewell,  his  closing  words  were  :  "Your  general  being  now 
to  conclude  these  his  last  public  orders,  to  take  his  ultimate 
leave  in  a  short  time  of  the  military  character,  and  to  bid  adieu 
to  the  armies  he  has  so  long  had  the  honor  to  command,  he  can 
only  again  offer  in  their  behalf  his  recommendations  to  their 
grateful  country  and  his  prayers  to  the  God  of  armies.  May 
ample  justice  be  done  to  them  here,  and  may  the  choicest  of 
Heaven's  favors,  both  here  and  hereafter,  attend  those  who, 
under  the  Divine  auspices,  have  secured  innumerable  blessings 
for  others.  With  these  wishes  and  this  benediction  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief is  about  to  retire  from  service.  The  curtain  of 
separation  will  soon  be  drawn,  and  the  military  scene  to  him 
will  be  closed  forever." 

In  November  the  British  army  evacuated  New  York,  and  the 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  43 

American  army  under  General  Knox  took  possession,  and  soon 
after  General  Washington  made  his  public  entry  into  the  city 
amid  great  festivities  and  a  grand  triumphal  ovation. 

Here  he  remained  until  the  fourth  of  December,  when  he  took 
an  affectionate  farewell  of  his  officers,  who  had  fought  with 
him  the  battles  and  shared  with  him  the  hardships  of  war. 
When  Washington  entered  the  room  where  they  were  assembled 
his  emotions  were  too  strong  to  be  repressed  or  concealed.  Fill- 
ing a  glass,  he  turned  to  the  surrounding  officers  and  said  : 
"  With  a  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude  I  now  take  leave  of 
you.  I  most  devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days  may  be  as 
prosperous  and  happy  as  your  former  ones  have  been  glorious 
and  honorable.  I  cannot  come  to  each  of  you  to  take  my  leave, 
but  shall  be  obliged  if  each  of  you  will  come  and  take  me  by 
the  hand." 

One  by  one,  in  silence  and  in  tears,  his  old  comrades  grasped  him 
by  the  hand,  and  then,  with  a  look  of  deep  emotion  and  inexpress- 
ible tenderness  on  his  face,  Washington  passed  from  the  room 
and  began  his  journey  toward  his  home  and  waiting  family  at 
Mount  Vernon.  Every  where  the  ovations  of  the  people  awaited 
him.  Reaching  Annapolis,  then  the  seat  of  Government,  he 
proceeded  at  once  to  resign  his  commission  as  Commander-in- 
Chief ,  and  in  an  appropriate  address  he  expressed  his  great  hap- 
piness at  the  confirmation  of  our  independence,  and  commended 
the  interests  of  our  country  to  the  protection  of  God,  closing 
with  the  expression  of  his  desire  to  take  leave  of  all  employ- 
ments of  public  Iffe. 

Having  thus,  of  his  own  accord,  become  one  of  the  people, 
the  American  chief  hastened  to  his  delightful  residence  at  Mount 
Vernon,  where  he  devoted  his  attention,  with  untiring  industry, 
to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture  and  the  extension  of  inland  navi- 
gation. 

A  crisis  now  seemed  approaching  in  our  problem  of  self-gov- 
ernment which  required  a  very  superior  statesmanship  to  avert. 
Many  complications  and  evidences  of  weakness  were  growing 
out  of  the  Confederation,  and  nothing  short  of  a  union  of  the 
States,  with  certain  rights  delegated  to  the  general  Government, 
appeared  adequate  to  the  demands  of  the  national  situation. 


44  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Washington  was  deeply  interested  in  this  necessary  change  in 
the  relationship. 

In  accordance  with  the  general  opinion  that  a  better  form  of 
government  was  necessary,  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the 
several  States  was  proposed.  This  convention  met  in  Phila- 
delphia in  May,  and  unanimously  chose  George  Washington 
their  President.  The  result  of  this  Convention  was  the  Consti- 
tution under  which  our  present  form  of  government  was  pro- 
posed. This  Constitution  being  accepted  by  eleven  of  the  States, 
all  eyes  were  turned  toward  Washington  as  the  most  worthy 
and  suitable  person  to  be  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  official  announcement  of  his  election  to  the  Presidency 
was  made  to  General  Washington  on  the  fourteenth  of  April, 
1789,  and  two  days  after  receiving  this  notification  he  left 
Mount  Vernon  for  New  York,  which  was  then  the  seat  of 
Government.  Everywhere  on  the  route  throngs  gathered  to 
gaze  on  the  face  of  the  hero  of  the  Revolution.  Military  escorts 
attended  him  from  State  to  State,  and  his  reception  at  New 
York  was  celebrated  by  a  grand  procession  and  illumination, 
and  on  the  30th  of  April,  1789,  he  took  the  oath  of  office  and  was 
inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States,  in  which  position 
he  remained  for  eight  years,  having  been  re-elected  for  a  second 
term. 

When  he  began  his  administration  the  situation  of  the  United 
States  was  highly  critical.  There  were  no  funds  in  the  Treasury, 
and  large  debts  were  due  on  every  side.  Opposition  to  the  new 
Constitution  was  strong,  and  our  relationship  with  foreign 
powers  was  very  unsettled.  Difficulties  occurred  with  Spain, 
and  the  Indian  nations  were  at  war  with  the  United  States  in 
several  localities.  To  guide  the  ship  of  state  over  and  through 
these  difficulties  required  the  greatest  skill  and  statesmanship 
on  the  part  of  Washington,  but  with  a  master  hand  he  steered 
us  safely  through  the  most  critical  period  of  our  national  exist- 
ence. Among  his  first  measures  was  the  effort  to  make  peace 
with  the  Indians.  Through  his  skillful  and  prudent  manage- 
ment, also,  the  difficulty  with  Spain  was  amicably  adjusted. 
His  great  firmness  and  wisdom  in  compelling  a  strict  neutrality 
in  the  war  between  France  and  Great  Britain  deserved  the  deep- 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  45 

est  gratitude  of  the  entire  country.  Some  complications  arose 
between  the  United  States  and  France  just  previous  to  the  ex- 
piration of  his  second  term  of  office,  but  before  the  difficulty 
was  adjusted  he  had  ceased  to  be  President,  and  had  retired  to 
his  beautiful  and  cherished  home. 

His  farewell  address  was  one  of  the  ablest  State  papers  ever 
issued,  and  was  received  in  every  part  of  the  Union  with  the 
most  unbounded  admiration.  His  journey  home  was  a  per- 
fect ovation,  and  wherever  he  passed,  crowds  came  to  meet  him 
and  pay  their  respects  to  him.  In  the  retirement  of  his  beauti- 
ful Mount  Vernon  he  resumed  Ms  agricultural  pursuits,  and  in 
the  society  of  his  friends  and  many  guests  he  sought  a  quiet 
ending  to  an  active  and  anxious  life.  But  his  country  turned 
to  Mm  in  trouble  like  the  needle  to  the  pole,  and  when  the  im- 
pending difficulty  with  France  obliged  our  Government  to  adopt 
vigorous  measures,  Congress  authorized  the  formation  of  a  reg- 
ular army,  and  President  Adams  nominated  Washington  to  the 
chief  command  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  with  the 
rank  of  lieutenant  general.  After  this  appointment,  Washing- 
ton divided  his  time  between  agricultural  pursuits  and  the  or- 
ganization of  the  army.  Soon  after  this  the  Directory  was 
overthrown  and  the  French  Government  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Napoleon,  who  soon  arranged  a  peaceful  settlement  with  the 
United  Stales. 

In  all  of  Washington's  duties,  precision  and  punctuality 
marked  the  performance.  Having  a  certain  hour  for  dining, 
he  always  sat  down  to  the  table  at  the  time,  allowing  five  min- 
utes for  lateness  ot<guests.  Whenever  he  made  an  appointment 
to  meet  any  one  at  a  certain  hour,  the  clock  was  not  more  punc- 
tual than  he.  As  an  illustration  of  tMs,  when  he  visited  Boston 
in  1789  he  appointed  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  as  the  hour 
when  he  should  set  out  for  Salem,  and  while  the  Old  South 
clock  was  striking  eight  he  was  crossing  his  saddle.  The  com- 
pany of  cavalry  wMch  volunteered  to  escort  him,  not  anticipat- 
ing this  strict  punctuality,  were  parading  in  Tremont  street 
after  his  departure,  and  it  was  not  until  the  President  had 
reached  Charles  River  Bridge,  where  he  stopped  a  few  moments, 
that  the  troops  overtook  him.  On  passing  the  corps  the  Presi- 


46  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

dent,  with  perfect  good  nature,  said:  "Major,  I  thought  you 
had  been  too  long  in  my  family  not  to  know  when  it  was  eight 
o'clock." 

But  the  time  drew  nigh  when  a  great  bereavement  was  to  fall 
upon  the  country.  Though  Washington's  services  to  his  coun- 
try and  his  fame  will  live  forever,  he  himself  was  but  mortal. 
On  the  12th  of  December,  1799,  he  rode  out  as  usual  on  his  visits 
to  his  farms.  The  weather,  becoming  soon  after  very  cold,  there 
was  an  alternate  fall  of  rain,  hail  and  snow.  On  returning 
home  he  dined  without  changing  his  dress,  and  in  the  evening 
retired  apparently  as  well  as  usual.  He  arose  the  next  morning 
with  a  cold  from  his  exposure  of  the  previous  day,  and  com- 
plained of  a  sore  throat.  His  hoarseness  increased  toward  even- 
ing, but  he  took  no  remedy  for  it,  saying  that  he  would  never 
take  anything  to  carry  off  a  cold,  and  that  it  could  go  as  it  came. 
On  Saturday  morning  he  was  very  seriously  unwell,  and  a  phy- 
sician was  sent  for  to  bleed  him.  Finding  that  no  relief  was 
obtained  from  bleeding,  and  that  he  was  entirely  unable  to 
swallow  anything,  his  attendants  bathed  his  throat  externally 
with  sal  volatile.  A  piece  of  flannel  was  then  put  round  his 
neck  and  his  feet  were  soaked  in  warm  water.  It  was  impossi- 
ble to  procure  any  relief.  Several  physicians  were  immediately 
sent  for,  and  various  remedies  resorted  to  without  effect.  Be- 
tween five  and  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  his  physicians  came 
to  his  bedside,  and  Dr.  Craik  asked  him  if  he  would  sit  up  in 
bed.  He  held  out  his  hand  and  was  raised  up,  when  he  said  : 
"  I  feel  myself  going  ;  you  had  better  not  take  anymore  trouble 
about  me,  but  let  me  go  off  quietly;  I  cannot  last  long."  He 
then  laid  down  again  and  all  except  Dr.  Craik  retired.  Wash- 
ington then  said  to  him:  "Doctor,  I  die  hard,  but  I  am  not 
afraid  to  go.  I  believed  from  my  first  attack  I  should  not  sur- 
vive it ;  my  breath  cannot  last  long." 

About  ten  o'clock  he  made  several  attempts  to  speak  before 
he  could  effect  it.  He  at  length  said  :  "  I  am  just  going.  Have 
me  decently  buried,  and  do  not  let  my  body  be  put  in  the  vault 
in  less  than  two  days  after  I  am  dead."  His  attending  physi- 
cian bowed  assent.  He  looked  at  him  again  and  said :  "  Do 
you  understand  me?"  The  reply  was  :  "Yes,  sir."  Washing- 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON.  47 

ton  answered  .  "  "Tis  well."  About  ten  minutes  before  he'  ex- 
pired his  breathing  became  much  easier ;  he  lay  quietly,  and 
withdrew  his  hand  from  the  physician  to  feel  his  own  pulse. 
His  hand  fell  from  the  wrist.  Dr.  Craik  placed  his  hands  over 
his  eyes,  and  he  expired  without  a  struggle  or  a  sigh,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-eight  years.  During  his  last  moments  Mrs.  Washington 
sat  in  silent  and  agonizing  suspense  by  his  bed ,  and  when  he 
breathed  his  last  she  asked  in  a  quiet  voice  :  " Is  he  gone?"  and 


OLD   FAMILY  VAULT. 

bowing  her  head  she  realized  that  her  noble  companion  had 
passed  into  that  land  to  which  she  soon  would  follow. 

Information  of  the  death  of  Washington  was  received  in 
every  part  of  the  States,  and  in  fact  throughout  the  world,  with 
deep  regret  and  veneration  for  his  memory.  Throughout  our 
country  funeral  processions  were  formed  and  solemn  services 
performed,  and  on  the  18th  of  December  his  remains  were  placed 
in  the  family  vault  at  Mount  Vernon,  where  they  have  moul- 
dered in  dust,  while  his  soul  and  his  immortal  works  live  on 
and  his  fame  is  growing  brighter  throughout  all  lands. 


JOHN    ADAMS. 


John  Adams  was  born  at  Quincy,  in  Massachusetts,  on  the 
80th  day  of  October,  1735.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Susan- 
nah Boylston  Adams,  and  the  fourth  in  descent  from  Henry 
Adams,  who,  to  quote  the  inscription  on  his  tombstone,  "  took 
his  flight  from  the  dragon  persecution  in  1  'evonshire,  England, 
and  alighted,  with  eight  sons,  near  Wollaston."  John  Adams 
early  gave  proof  of  superior  abilities,  and  enjoyed  the  best  ad- 
vantages for  their  cultivation  that  the  country  afforded.  He 
entered  Harvard  College  in  1751,  from  which  he  graduated 
four  years  afterward,  and  following  the  example  of  most  of  the 
distinguished  men  in  New  England  from  the  earliest  times,  he 
engaged  for  a  time  in  teaching  as  instructor  in  the  grammar 
school  in  Worcester,  and  at  the  same  time  studied  law  with  Mr. 
Putnam,  a  lawyer  of  considerable  eminence  in  that  town,  and 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1758,  he  commenced  the  practice  of 
law  in  Braintree,  his  native  town,  and  at  an  early  day  proved 
his  extraordinary  ability.  In  1759  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Suffolk,  through  the  influence  of  Jeremy  Gridley,  the  At- 
torney-General of  the  province,  who  was  a  warm  friend  and 
patron  of  young  Adams,  and  in  compliance  with  his  advice  Mr. 
Adams  applied  himself  earnestly  to  the  study  of  the  civil  law, 
which  was  not  much  known  to  lawyers  at  that  time.  In  1761 
he  was  admitted  to  the  degree  of  barrister  of  law,  and  about  the 
same  time,  by  the  death  of  his  father,  he  succeeded  to  a  small 
landed  estate. 

In  the  same  year  certain  me.norahle  events  transpired  in  the 
relationship  of  the  colonies  to  England,  which  aroused  in  Mr. 
Adams  the  most  enthusiastic  patriotism.  For  some  years  past 
the  feeling  between  the  coL  mies,  and  especially  Massachusetts, 
and  the  mother  country,  had  not  been  one  of  good  wiU  and  mu- 


50  IJVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

tual  confidence.  The  rapidly  increasing  wealth  and  population 
of  the  colonies  were  viewed  with  a  jealous  eye  by  Parliament, 
which  began  to  interfere  with  their  internal  and  external  rela- 
tions in  a  manner  that  stirred  up  the  old  Puritan  spirit  of  resist- 
ance. Being  without  representation  in  Parliament,  they  denied 
its  right  to  violate  their  charters  or  to  impose  restraints  on  the 
employment  of  their  industry  and  capital,  and  in  1761  the  first 
spirit  of  resistance  was  manifested. 

An  order  of  council  had  been  passed  in  Great  Britain,  order- 
ing the  officers  of  the  customs  in  Massachusetts  Bay  to  execute 
the  acts  of  trade.  Tha  Custom  House  officers,  iu  order  that 
they  might  fully  perform  this  duty,  petitioned  the  Supreme 
Court  to  grant  "writs  of  assistance,"  which  authorized  those 
who  held  them  to  enter  houses  in  search  of  goods  liable  to  duty. 
This  aroused  great  opposition,  and  the  colonists  denied  the  right 
to  grant  them.  The  legality  of  the  act  was  made  the  subject  of 
a  trial,  and  Mr.  Gridley,  the  King's  Attorney-General,  argued 
for  the  Crown  in  its  support,  while  the  able  and  patriotic  James 
Otis  defended  the  rights  of  the  people.  His  speech  was  one  of 
the  most  eloquent  arguments  ever  heard  in  this  country  up  to 
that  time.  Mr.  Adams,  in  his  enthusiasm  for  its  sentiments, 
wrote  as  follows  :  "  Otis  was  a  flame  of  fire.  With  a  prompti- 
tude of  classical  allusion,  a  depth  of  research, 'a  rapid  summary 
of  historical  events  and  dates,  a  profusion  of  legal  authorities, 
a  prophetic  glance  of  his  eyes  into  futurity,  a  rapid  torrent  of 
impetuous  eloquence,  he  hurried  away  all  before  him.  Ameri- 
can Independence  was  then  and  there  born  ;  every  man  of  an 
immensely  crowded  audience  appeared  to  go  away  ready  to 
take  up  arms  against  writs  of  assistance."  Such  were  the  over- 
whelming arguments  of  Mr.  Otis  that  the  courts  decided  against 
the  legality  of  the  writs. 

In  1764  Mr.  Adams  married  Abigail,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
William  Smith,  of  Weymouth,  and  few  men  have  been  so  for- 
tunate in  their  choice  or  so  happy  in  their  domestic  relations. 
Mrs.  Adams  was  a  woman  of  great  personal  beauty  and  strength 
of  character,  with  a  highly  cultivated  mind  and  the  most  en- 
gaging sweetness  of  disposition.  She  sympathized  with  her 
husband  in  his  patriotic  enthusiasm,  cheered  and  sustained  him 


JOHN   ADAMS. 


51. 


in  his  hours  of  trial,  and  submitted  without  repining  to  the  long 
separations  which  his  duty  to  the  public  rendered  necessary. 

The  British  Ministry  now  began  their  oppression  of  the  col- 
onists, and,  with  what  seems  a  Providential  infatuation,  passed 
the  memorable  Stamp  Act.  This  at  once  aroused  the  indigna- 
tion of  the  people,  and  a  flame  of  opposition  blazed  out  imme- 
diately throughout  the  whole  country,  Patrick  Henry,  of  Vir- 
ginia, Mr.  Adams  and  Mr.  Otis  took  the  lead  in  this  opposition, 
and  the  latter  two  gentlemen,  together  with  Mr.  Gridley,  argued 


CONTINENTAL  CURRENCY. 

that  the  courts  should  administer  justice  without  stamped  paper. 
This  opposition  soon  brought  about  the  repeal  of  the  obnoxious 
act. 

Mr.  Adams  then  gave  to  the  world  his  "Dissertation  on  the 
Crown  and  Feudal  Law. "  The  object  of  this  work  was  to  show 
the  absurdity  and  tyranny  of  the  monarchical  and  aristocratic 
institutions  of  the  old  world,  and  in  particular  the  mischievous 
principles  of  the  canon  and  feudal  law.  He  contended  that  the 
New  England  settlers  had  been  induced  to  cross  the  ocean  to 
escape  the  tyranny  of  Church  and  State,  and  that  they  had  laid 
the  foundations  of  their  government  in  reason,  justice  and  a 


52  LIVES   OF  OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

respect  for  the  rights  of  humanity.  He  exhorted  his  countrymen 
not  to  fall  short  of  these  noble  sentiments  of  their  fathers,  and 
to  sacrifice  anything  rather  than  liberty  and  honor.  "The 
whole  tone  of  the  essay  is  so  raised  and  bold,"  says  Mr.  Wirt, 
"that  it  sounds  like  a  trumpet-call  to  arms."  It  was  much 
read  and  admired  in  America  and  Europe,  and  was  pronounced 
by  Mr.  Hollis,  of  London,  to  be  the  best  American  work  which 
had  crossed  the  Atlantic. 

In  1766  Mr.  Adams  removed  his  residence  to  Boston,  which 
was  a  large  field  for  his  able  legal  talent,  but  he  still  continued 
his  attendance  on  the  neighboring  circuits. 

The  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  was  followed  the  next  year  by  a 
law  passed  by  Parliament,  laying  duties  in  the  British  colonies 
on  glass,  paper,  painters'  colors  and  tea.  To  enforce  these  laws 
and  suppress  the  rising  spirit  of  independence,  two  regiments  of 
soldiers  and  some  armed  vessels  were  sent  to  Boston,  that  town 
having  incurred  the  displeasure  of  England  by  its  opposition  to 
British  imposition  on  the  colonies.  The  citizens  were  indignant 
at  this  quartering  of  troops  in  their  midst,  and  squabbles  were 
perpetually  taking  place  between  them,  and  on  the  5th  of  March, 
1770,  a  bloody  affray  occurred  in  State  street,  in  which  five  citi- 
zens were  killed  and  many  wounded.  This  is  commonly  called 
the  Boston  massacre,  and  it  so  exasperated  th»-  people  that  it 
was  with  difficulty  on  the  part  of  the  leading  men  that  they 
were  prevented  from  rising  en  masse  and  putting  to  death  every 
British  soldier.  Captain  Preston  and  six  soldiers  engaged  in 
the  massacre  were  arrested  and  tried  for  murder.  John  Adams 
and  Josiah  Quincy  were  asked  to  become  their  counsel.  The 
position  was  a  critical  one  for  these  stanch  patriots,  but  with 
great  moral  courage  they  undertook  the  defense.  This  sub- 
jected them  to  the  bitter  accusation  of  having  deserted  the 
cause  of  their  country  and  become  the  bribed  defenders  of  Brit- 
ish despotism.  But  notwithstanding  this  clamor,  the  result  of 
the  trial  was  in  the  highest  degree  honorable  to  the  community. 
Tried  before  a  jury  chosen  from  the  exasperated  inhabitants  of 
the  town,  Captain  Preston  and  four  of  the  soldiers  were  ac- 
quitted, while  two  were  found  guilty  of  manslaughter  and  re- 
ceived slight  punishments,  the  citizens  wisely  seeing  that  the 


JOHN  ADAMSS.  53 

blame  should  rest  on  the  British  Government,  and  not  upon  the 
soldiers  who  defended  themselves  against  attack. 

To  prove  that  Mr.  Adams  still  maintained  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow-citizens,  he  was  chosen  in  the  same  year  as 
one  of  the  representatives  in  the  General  Assembly,  being  then 
a  resident  of  Boston,  and  in  this  position  he  became  a  formidable 
opponent  of  Governor  Hutchinson,  who  labored  assiduously  for 
the  interests  of  the  Crown. 

The  opposition  of  the  colonies  had  resulted  in  a  repeal  of  the 
duties  on  all  articles  except  tea,  and  to  prove  their  antagonism 
to  the  tax,  associations  were  formed  in  all  the  colonies  to  dis- 
courage the  use  of  tea.  Great  Britain,  to  force  the  tea  down 
the  throats  of  the  colonists,  sent  large  shipments  to  Boston. 
The  consignees  endeavored  to  send  it  back,  but  the  Custom 
House  officers  refused  a  clearance.  This  brought  the  difficulty 
to  a  focus,  and  on  the  15th  of  December  a  band  of  seventy  or 
eighty  men,  disguised  as  Indians,  boarded  the  vessels  in  the  har- 
bor and  emptied  the  chests  of  tea  into  the  bay. 

A  consideration  of  the  circumstances  of  the  times  exalts  this 
seeming  frolic  into  an  act  of  the  most  sublime  daring.  It  was 
throwing  down  the  gauntlet  of  defiance,  and  was  a  bold  act  of 
rebellion  that  rendered  an  appeal  to  arms  inevitable.  To  punish 
Boston,  the  English  Government  sent  armed  ships  to  close  their 
port  against  commerce .  This  was  a  crushing  blow  at  the  pros- 
perity of  the  town,  and  aroused  the  sympathy  of  the  entire 
country  for  Massachusetts,  and  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  to 
refuse  all  importations  from  England.  The  determination  of 
the  people  to  resist  oppression  was  daily  gaining  strength,  and 
in  furtherance  of  this  purpose  a  General  Congress  was  con- 
vened in  Philadelphia  in  1774.  To  this  Congress  Massachusetts 
sent  James  Bowdoin.  Thomas  Gushing,  Samuel  Adams,  John 
Adams  and  Robert  Treat  Paine. 

After  the  election  of  Mr.  Adams  as  a  delegate,  his  friend  Mr. 
Sewall,  the  King's  Attorney-General,  labored  earnestly  to  dis- 
suade him  from  accepting  the  appointment.  He  told  Mr.  Adams 
that  Great  Britain  was  determined  on  her  system  ;  her  power 
was  irresistible,  and  would  be  destructive  to  him  and  all  those 
who  should  persevere  in  opposition  to  her  designs.  Mr.  Adams 


54  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

replied  to  him  :  "  I  know  that  Great  Britain  has  determined  on 
her  system,  and  that  very  determination  determines  me  on 
mine.  You  know  I  have  been  constant  and  uniform  in  opposi- 
tion to  her  measures.  The  die  is  now  cast.  I  have  passed  the 
Rubicon.  Sink  or  swim,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish  with  my 
country  is  my  unalterable  determination." 

The  Congress  opened  its  session  in  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  of 
September,  1774.  Its  proceedings  are  too  well  known  to  need 
minute  description.  They  form  one  of  the  noblest  chapters  in 
the  history,  not  only  of  our  country,  but  of  the  world,  and  they 
have  left  to  every  American  citizen  a  heritage  of  glory  before 
•which  all  the  fabled  splendor  which  tradition  has  thrown  around 
the  origin  of  older  nations  fades  into  insignificance. 

Mr.  Adams  and  his  colleagues  being  inhabitants  of  the  colony 
which  had  been  most  oppressed  and  insulted,  and  in  which  the 
most  determined  spirit  of  opposition  had  been  roused,  were  con- 
vinced of  the  entire  impracticability  of  any  reconciliation,  and 
that  it  would  be  necessary  to  throw  off  the  allegiance  of  the 
mother  country  and  to  act  as  an  independent  nation.  But  most 
of  the  delegates  were  entirely  opposed  to  any  attempt  at  separa- 
tion, and  firmly  expressed  themselves  as  only  favoring  a  redress 
of  their  grievances.  Mr.  Adams  consequently  became  unpopu- 
lar, and  was  even  given  to  understand  that  his  views  were  as 
unpopular  as  the  grievances.  He  was  looked  upon  as  a  vision- 
ary advocate  of  a  very  dangerous  theory,  and,  while  they  all 
wanted  to  be  rid  of  England's  oppression,  many  were  afraid  to 
be  without  the  protection  of  the  powerful  British  Government. 
The  following  extract  from  one  of  Adams'  own  letters  shows  the 
views  of  himself  and  some  of  his  distinguished  colleagues : 

"  When  Congress  had  finished  their  business,  as  they  thought,  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1774, 1  had  with  Mr.  Henry,  before  we  took  leave  of  each  other,  some 
familiar  conversation,  in  which  I  expressed  a  full  conviction  that  our  re- 
solves, declarations  of  rights,  enumeration  of  wrongs,  petitions,  remon- 
strances, ar.d  addresses,  associations  and  non-importation  agreements,  how- 
ever they  might  bo  expected  in  America,  and  however  necessary  to  cement 
the  union  of  the  colonies,  would  bo  but  waste  water  in  England.  Mr.  Henry 
said  they  might  make  some  impression  among  the  people  of  England,  but 
agreed  with  mo  that  they  would  be  totally  lost  upon  the  Government.  I  had 
but  just  received  a  short  and  hasty  letter,  written  to  me  by  Major  Joseph 


JOHN  ADAMS.  55 


Hawley,  of  Northampton,  containing  a  '  f  ewbroken  hints,'  as  he  called  them, 
of  what  he  thought  was  proper  to  be  done,  and  concluding  with  these  words: 
'  After  all,  we  must  fight. '  This  letter  I  read  to  Mr.  Henry,  who  listened  with 
great  attention,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  pronounced  the  words,  '  After  all,  we 
must  fight,'  he  raised  his  head,  and  with  an  energy  and  vehemence  that  I  can 
never  forget,  broke  out  with,  '  By  G  — ,  I  am  of  that  man's  mind !'  I  put  the 
letter  in  his  hand,  and  when  ho  had  read  it  he  returned  it  to  me  with  an 
equally  solemn  asseveration  tliat  lie  agreed  entirely  in  opinion  with  the  writer. 
It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Henry  and  "Washington  were  the  only  ones  of  the  Vir- 
ginia delegation  who  did  not  return  home  firm  in  the  opinion  that  all  our 
grievances  would  be  redressed.  The  majority  of  our  people  were  strongly 
attached  to  the  mother  country  and  believed  that  the  feeling  was  mutual, 
and  that  the  kindred  ties  of  blood  and  sympathy  would  secure  for  us  both 
justice  and  generosity.  But  these  fond  and  baseless  hopes  were  not  to  be 
realized.  The  British  Ministry  were  haughty,  arrogant  and  bigoted,  and  with 
a  lack  of  prudence,  forethought  and  statesmanship,  resolved  to  waste  no 
kindness  or  forbearance  on  us,  but  to  bring  us  to  terms  by  force." 

At  the  adjournment  of  Congress  in  November,  Mr.  Adams  re- 
turned to  his  home,  where  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  the  country  to 
answer  some  able  essays  which  had  been  written  by  his  friend 
Mr.  Sewall,  the  Attorney -General,  under  the  name  of  "Massa- 
chusetts," advocating  the  supreme  authority  of  Parliament  and 
denouncing  the  revolutionary  spirit  of  the  country.  Mr.  Adams, 
in  answer  to  these  essays,  wrote  a  series  of  communications  to 
the  press,  over  the  signature  of  "Novanglus,"  defending  the 
action  of  our  people.  These  papers  were  most  ably  written,  and 
were  remarkable  as  an  evidence  of  the  extent  of  the  author's 
general  reading  and  his  acquaintance  with  colonial  history. 

One  advantage  of  these  papers  was  that  they  set  the  people 
thinking,  and  matured  in  their  minds  those  ideas  which  were 
so  soon  destined  to  blossom  forth  into  patriotic  devotion  to  their 
country's  cause. 

Mr.  Adams  and  his  colleagues  were  re-elected  members  of  the 
Continental  Congress,  John  Hancock  being  chosen  in  the  place 
of  Mr.  Bowdoin.  It  assembled  in  Philadelphia  on  the  20th  of 
May,  1775,  just  about  one  month  after  the  first  blood  of  the 
Eevolution  had  been  shed  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  and  the 
delegates  were  obliged  to  take  measures  for  active  resistance. 
Although  the  blood  of  Americans  had  crimsoned  our  soil  and 
consecrated  our  cause  in  the  sight  of  Heaven,  the  people  were 


56  LIVES  OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

not  ripe  for  independence,  and  took  up  arms  in  self-defense 
only,  believing  that  their  grievances  would  be  redressed.  In 
selecting  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  our  forces  to  be  brought 
into  the  field,  Mr.  Adams  deserves  the  greatest  credit  for  his 
sound  judgment,  disinterested  patriotism  and  sacrifice  of  sec- 
tional prejudice  to  the  cormron  good.  The  New  England 
militia,  then  under  command  of  General  Artemas  Ward,  was 
the  only  thing  in  the  shape  of  a  provincial  army  organized  at 
that  time.  This  general  the  New  England  delegation  were 
anxious  to  have  appointed  Commander-in-Chief,  but  Mr.  Adams, 
being  familiar  with  the  uncommon  military  ability  displayed 
by  Colonel  George  Washington,  of  Virginia,  in  the  French  war, 
urged  earnestly  his  appointment.  Mr.  Adams  found  his  col- 
leagues entirely  unwilling  to  appoint  this  stranger  from  a  dis- 
tant locality  over  their  officers  of  higher  rank,  even  if  of  more 
experience  taan  they  possessed.  Mr.  Adams,  however,  was 
persistent,  and  worked  so  assiduously  that  Washington  was 
nominated  the  next  day  by  Governor  Johnson,  of  Maryland,  at 
the  instigation  of  Mr.  Adams,  who  seconded  the  motion  himself, 
to  the  great  surprise  of  many  members,  and  none  more  so  than 
Washington  himself,  who,  with  his  characteristic  modesty,  im- 
mediately arose  and  left  the  house.  To  the  wisdom  and  sagacity 
of  Mr.  Adams  in  making  such  a  desirable,  if  not  even  necessary, 
selection,  and  for  his  persistent  energy  in  -working  for  the  ap- 
pointment, the  greatest  credit  is  due.  In  the  clear  light  of  im- 
partial reasoning  to-day,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  other  living  man 
in  the  country  at  that  time  but  Washington  could  have  carried 
our  armies  to  victory. 

About  the  time  of  Washington's  appointment  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son took  his  seat  in  Congress  from  Virginia,  in  place  of  Mr. 
Peyton  Randolph,  who  had  retired  on  account  of  ill  health. 
There  at  once  sprang  up  a  warm  intimacy  between  him  and  Mr. 
Adams,  arising  from  congeniality  of  feeling  and  co-operation 
in  their  views  on  the  great  subjects  which  then  agitated  the 
minds  of  men. 

Between  this  time  and  the  assembling  of  Congress  in  the 
spring  of  1776,  the  difficulty  between  England  and  America  had, 
by  a  series  of  stirring  events,  culminated  in  an  irreparable 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


57 


All 


breach.  Bunker  Hill  had  flowed  with  patriotic  blood,  Wash- 
ington's fortifications  on  Dorchester  Heights  had  forced  the 
British  to  evacuate  Boston,  and  Parliament  had  declared  the 
provinces  in  a  state  of  rebellion,  and  it  was  voted  to  raise  and 
equip  a  force  of  twenty-eight  thousand  seamen  and  fifty-five 
thousand  land  troops.  To  the  great  indignation  of  the  Ameri- 
can people,  it  was  then  learned  that  Lord  North  had  hired  six- 
teen thousand  Hessian  mercenaries  to  assist  in  subduing  the 
colonies. 

hopes  of  a 
adjust- 
ment of  the  diffi- 
culty were  now  at 
an  end,  and  nothing 
remained  but  for 
the  people  to  rush 
to  arms  in  defense 
of  their  country, 
their  homes  and 
everything  they 
held  dear.  The 
hour  had  arrived 
for  writing  the  sub- 
limest  page  in 
human  history  —  a 
page  which  only 
heroes  could  indite. 
Mr.  Adams  had  from  the  first  held  to  the  opinion  that  the  breach 
between  the  two  countries  could  not  be  amicably  closed,  and 
that  the  sword  would  be  the  only  arbitrator.  Such  opinions  it 
was  now  no  longer  dangerous  or  inexpedient  to  express,  and 
accordingly,  on  the  6th  of  May.  1776,  Mr.  Adams  moved  in  Con- 
gress a  resolution  which  was,  in  fact,  a  declaration  of  independ- 
ence, recommending  to  the  colonies  such  a  government  as 
would,  in  the  opinion  of  the  representatives  of  the  people,  best 
conduce  to  the  happiness  and  safety  of  their  constituents  and  of 
America. 
This  resolution  was  adopted  on  the  10th  of  May,  and  on  the 


BATTLE   OF 


58  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

same  day  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives  voted  a 
resolution  that  they  stood  ready  to  pledge  their  lives  and  for- 
tunes to  the  support  of  a  declaration  of  independence  by  Con- 
gress. This  spirit  of  independence  growing  day  by  day,  Mr. 
Adams,  on  the  loth  of  the  month,  presented  a  preamble  to  the 
resolutions  previously  passed.  This  preamble,  after  setting 
forth  the  oppressive  acts  of  the  British  Government  and  the  in- 
famous spirit  exhibited  in  hiring  foreign  mercenary  soldiers  to 
assist  them,  proceeded  in  the  following  decided  language  : 

"Whereas  it  appears  absolutely  irreconcilable  to  reason  and  good  con- 
science for  the  people  of  these  colonies  now  to  take  the  oath  and  affirmations 
necessary  for  the  support  of  any  government  under  the  Crown  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, and  it  is  necessary  that  the  exercise  of  every  kind  of  authority  under  the 
said  Crown  should  be  totally  suppressed,  and  all  the  powers  of  government 
exerted  under  tho  authority  of  tEe  people  of  the  colonies  for  the  preservation 
of  internal  peace,  virtue  and  good  order,  as  well  as  for  the  defense  of  their 
lives,  liberties  and  properties  against  the  hostile  invasions  and  cruel  depreda- 
tions of  their  enemies. " 

After  the  adoption  of  this  preamble,  it  was  published  and  pre- 
sented to  the  colonies  for  an  expression  of  their  separate  opinions. 
Universally  they  expressed  in  reply  a  wish  for  independence, 
North  Carolina  having  the  first  place  on  the  roll  of  honor  in  send- 
ing her  indorsement  first. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  for  drawing  up  a  formal  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  and  on  the  7th  of  June,  in  honor  of  Vir- 
ginia, Richard  Henry  Lee  was  chosen  to  offer  the  immortal 
resolution :  ' '  That  these  United  Colonies  are  and  of  right 
ought  to  be  free  and  independent  States ;  that  they  are  absolved 
from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  Crown,  and  that  all  political 
connection  between  them  and  the  Government  of  Great  Britain 
is  and  of  right  ought  to  be  totally  dissolved." 

Mr.  Adams  seconded  this  motion,  and  it  was  under  discussion 
until  the  first  of  July.  A  committee  was  appointed  at  the  same 
time  to  prepare  a  draft  of  a  declaratijn  for  the  consideration  of 
Congress.  This  committee,  which  was  chosen  by  ballot,  con- 
sisted of  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Roger  Sherman  and  Robert  R.  Livingston,  the  names  taking 
precedence  according  the  number  of  votes  each  bad  received. 
Following  this  precedence,  Jefferson  and  Adams  were  selected 


JOHN  ADAMS.  56 

by  the  other  members  to  prepare  the  draft,  and  Mr.  Jefferson, 
at  the  earnest  request  of  Mr.  Adams,  wrote  the  immortal  paper, 
and  on  the  first  day  of  July  it  was  reported  to  Congress  for  their 
consideration,  and  on  the  memorable  Fourth  of  July,  1776,  it  was 
adopted  by  the  entire  Congress. 

The  discussions  on  all  these  important  measurts  were  natu- 
rally long  and  animated,  and  in  all  of  them  Mr.  Adams  took  the 
lead.  Jefferson,  in  compliment  to  his  ability  and  influence, 
said  :  "The  great  pillar  of  support  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  its  ablest  advocate  and  champion  on  the  floor  of 
the  House,  was  John  Adams."  Continuing  his  eulogy  at  an- 
other time  he  said  :  ' '  He  was  our  Colossus  on  the  floor.  Not 
graceful,  not  elegant,  not  always  fluent  in  his  public  addresses, 
he  yet  came  out  with  a  power,  both  of  thought  and  expression, 
which  moved  us  from  our  seats." 

Mr.  Adams  certainly  possessed  the  peculiar  qualities  necessary 
for  the  times.  His  bold,  energetic,  sincere  eloquence  carried 
conviction  with  it,  and  as  he  was  warmed  and  animated  by  his 
own  conscientious  opinions,  his  very  earnestness  of  speech 
moulded  the  minds  of  those  about  him,  just  as  the  sturdy,  hon- 
est strokes  of  the  blacksmith's  hammer  shape  the  iron  on  his 
anvil. 

Writing  to  Mrs.  Adams  of  the  memorable  events  which  were 
then  transpiring,  he  said  : 

"  Yesterday  the  greatest  question  was  decided  that  ever  was  debated  in 
America  ;  and  greater,  perhaps,  never  was  or  will  be  decided  among  men. 
A  resolution  was  passed,  without  one  dissenting  colony,  'that  these  United 
Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  States.'  The 
day  is  passed.  The  fourth  of  July,  1776,  will  be  a  memorable  epoch  in  the 
history  of  America.  I  am  apt  to  believe  it  will  be  celebrated  by  succeeding 
generations  as  the  great  anniversary  festival.  It  ought  to  be  commemorated 
as  the  day  of  deliverance  by  solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  Almighty  God.  It 
ought  to  be  solemnized  with  pomp,  shows,  games,  sports,  guns,  bells,  bonfires 
and  illuminations  from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  from  this  time 
forward  forever.  I  am  well  aware  of  the  toil  and  blood  and  treasure  that  it 
will  cost  to  maintain  this  declaration  and  support  and  defend  these  colonies; 
yet  through  all  the  gloom  I  can  see  the  rays  of  light  and  glory.  I  can  see 
that  the  end  is  worth  more  than  all  the  means,  and  that  posterity  may  tri- 
umph, although  you  and  I  may  rue,  which  I  hope  we  shall  not." 

Still  other  honors  awaited  Mr.  Adams  on  his  return  home 


60  IJVtS  OB*  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

from  the  memorable  session  of  Congress.  On  reaching  Massa- 
chusetts he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Massachu- 
setts, which  occupied  the  place  formerly  held  by  the  Governor's 
Council.  Accepting  the  appointment,  he  assisted  in  their  de- 
liberations, but  declined  the  office  of  Chief  Justice  because  it 
would  interfere  with  his  duties  in  Congress. 

After  the  American  army  on  Long  Island  had  been  defeated 
in  August,  1776,  by  the  British  forces  under  Lord  Howe,  the 
British  commander  thought  it  would  be  a  favorable  moment  for 
negotiation,  and  requested  an  interview  with  some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  Congress.  Mr.  Adams  opposed  the  plan,  as  likely  to 
produce  no  favorable  result,  but  he  was  overruled  and  a  com- 
mittee appointed  to  treat  with  the  British  general,  consisting  of 
himself,  Dr.  Franklin  and  Edward  Eutledge.  They  were  re- 
ceived with  much  politeness  by  General  Howe,  but  he  was  not 
willing  to  treat  with  them  as  a  committee  of  Congress,  and  they 
were  not  willing  to  be  considered  in  any  other  capacity.  ''You 
may  view  me  in  any  light  you  please,"  said  Mr.  Adams,  "except 
that  of  a  British  subject."  Lord  Howe  had  no  more  satisfactory 
terms  of  peace  to  offer  than  that  the  colonies  should  return  to 
the  allegiance  and  government  of  Great  Britain.  These  terms, 
the  commissioners  stated  to  him,  were  out  of  the  question,  and 
thus,  as  Mr.  Adams  had  predicted,  the  negotiation  was  entirely 
fruitless. 

Mr.  Adams  returned  to  Congress,  and  remained  constantly  in 
attendance  and  close  in  his  attention  to  public  affairs  through  the 
remainder  of  the  year  1776  and  throughout  1777.  During  these 
sessions  he  was  a  member  of  ninety  committees,  twice  as  many 
as  any  other  member,  except  R.  H.  Lee  and  Samuel  Adams, 
served  on.  Of  these  committees  he  was  chairman  of  twenty- 
five,  the  most  laborious  and  important  one  being  the  board  of 
war.  From  these  important  and  arduous  duties  he  was  relieved 
by  being  appointed,  in  November,  1777,  a  Commissioner  to 
France  in  the  place  of  Silas  Deane,  who  was  recalled.  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee  were  the  other  members.  The  object 
of  the  mission  was  to  obtain  assistance  in  arms  and  money  from 
the  French  Government. 

The  acceptance  of  this  aooavutmerit  was  an  act  of  much  cour- 


JOHN  ADAMS.  61 

age  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  of  devotion  to  the  cause.  It 
not  only  necessitated  a  separation  from  his  family,  but  it  obliged 
him  to  cross  the  ocean  in  the  depth  of  winter,  when  the  sea  was 
swarming  with  ships  of  the  enemy,  who  would  have  treated 
him  with  pitiless  severity  had  they  captured  him.  Of  his  voy- 
age, which  was  taken  on  board  the  frigate  Boston,  an  incident 
is  related  which  proves  that  Mr.  Adams'  courage  was  not  exclu- 
sively moral.  Meeting  with  a  large  English  ship,  showing  a 
tier  of  guns,  Captain  Tucker,  the  commander  of  the  Boston, 
asked  Mr.  Adams'  consent  to  engage  her.  This  was  readily 
granted.  Upon  hailing  her  she  answered  with  a  broadside. 
Mr.  Adams  had  been  requested  to  retire  to  the  cockpit,  but 
Tucker,  looking  forward,  observed  him  among  the  marines 
with  a  musket  in  his  hands,  having  privately  applied  to  the 
officer  of  the  marines  for  a  gun  and  taken  his  station  among 
them.  At  this  sight  Captain  Tucker  became  alarmed  for  the 
safety  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  walking  up  to  the  ambassador,  desired 
to  know  how  he  came  there.  Upon  which  Mr.  Adams  smiled, 
gave  up  his  gun  and  went  immediately  below. 

Mr.  Adams  arrived  in  France  too  late  to  participate  in  the 
treaty  of  alliance  and  commerce  which  had  previously  been 
signed,  and  after  remaining  until  Dr.  Franklin  was  appointed 
Minister  Plenipotentiary,  Mr.  Adams  asked  and  received  per- 
mission to  return  home,  which  he  did  in  the  summer  of  1779. 

Massachusetts  again  claimed  his  services  on  his  return,  soon 
after  which  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  convention  called 
to  prepare  a  Constitution  for  the  State,  and  being  on  the  com- 
mittee to  draft  the  document,  much  of  his  statesmanship  was 
recognized  in  its  construction. 

Soon  after  this,  Congress  decided  to  send  a  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary to  negotiate  a  peace  with  Great  Britain.  For  this  im- 
portant position  Mr.  Adams  and  Mr.  Jay,  who  at  that  time  was 
President  of  Congress,  were  put  in  nomination,  the  vote  being 
a  tie.  But  the  next  day  Mr.  Jay  was  unanimously  elected  to 
fill  the  position  of  Minister  to  Spain,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  se- 
lected as  Minister  to  England.  He  embarked  in  the  French 
man-of-war  La  Sensible,  on  the  17th  of  November,  1779,  and 
being  obliged  "to  land  at  Corunna,  in  Spain,  he  traveled  from 


63  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

there  over  the  mountains  to  Paris,  where  he  at  once  met  with 
Dr.  Franklin  and  the  French  Prime  Minister.  Upon  first  com- 
munication with  England  it  became  evident  that  peace  with 
her  on  the  terms  we  required  was  impracticable.  Mr.  Adams' 
instructions  were  to  insist  upon  the  recognition  of  the  colonies 
as  free  and  independent,  and  on  a  right  to  the  fisheries. 

The  terms  of  Congress  not  even  being  considered,  it  was  need- 
less for  Mr.  Adams  to  go  to  England.  Remaining  in  Paris  until 
August,  1780,  he  received  a  note  of  approbation  from  Congress, 
and  instructions  to  proceed  at  once  to  Holland,  as  Minister,  in 
place  of  Mr.  Laurens,  who  on  his  voyage  to  that  country  was 
unfortunately  captured  by  the  enemy. 

In  December  Mr.  Adams  was  invested  with  full  power  to  form 
a  treaty  of  friendship  and  commerce  with  Holland.  But  he 
found  many  difficulties  lo  contend  with  in  his  ministerial  efforts. 
Being  unable  to  speak  the  language,  and  thrown  on  the  re- 
sources of  an  interpreter,  it  was  difficult  to  convince  the  Dutch 
capitalists  and  money-brokers  of  the  resources  of  a  country  of 
which  they  were  so  ignorant,  and  they  were  unwilling  to  make 
loans  without  full  knowledge  of  the  security,  and  it  devolved 
on  Mr.  Adams  to  write  a  number  of  papers  in  answer  to  ques- 
tions propounded  to  him  by  Mr.  Kalkcen,  an  eminent  jurist  of 
Amsterdam.  These  papers  contained  a  summary  of  the  rise 
and  progress  of  the  difficulty  between  the  colonies  and  England, 
and  the  resources  and  prospects  of  the  United  States.  Public 
opinion  was  strongly  influenced  by  these  able  documents  of  Mr. 
Adams,  and  he  eventually,  in  1782,  secured  a  loan  of  eight  mill- 
ion guilders  for  the  United  States. 

In  July,  1781,  while  Mr.  Adams  was  in  Holland,  he  was  sum- 
moned to  Paris,  where  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  exercise 
his  great  diplomatic  skill  in  a  plan  for  mediation  proposed  by 
the  Courts  of  Austria  and  Russia.  Mr.  Adams,  during  these 
negotiations,  became  aware  of  the  intriguing  intentions  of  Count 
de  Vergennes,  the  French  Prime  Minister.  He  showed  an  an- 
noying desire  to  predominate  in  the  negotiations  for  peace,  so 
that  he  could  secure  for  France  the  largest  share  of  the  com- 
mercial advantages  which  England  might  be  disposed  to  yield 
to  the  colonies,  and  Mr.  Adams  very  shrewdly,  saw  that  the 


JOHN  ADAMS.  63 

Prime  Minister  desired  to  withhold  from  the  British  Cabinet  the 
knowledge  of  Mr.  Adams'  full  powers  respecting  a  treaty  of 
commerce.  Count  de  Vergennes  had  taken  a  dislike  to  the 
straightforward,  outspoken,  manly  American  Minister,  and  he 
had  the  French  Minister  at  Philadelphia  complain  of  the  con- 
duct of  Mr.  Adams,  embracing  ha  his  communication  to  Con- 
gress the  following  request :  ' '  That  they  be  impressed  with  the 
necessity  of  prescribing  to  their  Plenipotentiary  a  perfect  and 
open  confidence  in  the  French  Minister,  and  a  thorough  reliance 
on  the  King  ;  and  after  giving  him,  in  his  instructions,  the  prin- 
cipal and  most  important  outlines  for  his  conduct,  they  would 
order  him,  with  respect  to  the  manner  of  carrying  them  into 
execution,  to  receive  his  directions  from  the  Count  de  Ver- 
gennes, or  from  the  persons  who  might  be  charged  with  the  ne- 
gotiations in  the  name  of  the  King." 

Congress,  not  wishing  to  offend  the  French  Government,  in- 
structed Mr.  Adams  to  act  in  accordance  with  this  request.  The 
mediation,  however,  was  not  accepted,  because  Austria  and 
Russia  would  not  acknowledge  the  independence  of  America 
until  England  would  do  so,  not  desiring  to  sever  their  friendly 
relations  with  Great  Britain. 

But  the  war  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close.  Cornwallis  and 
his  army  had  surrendered,  and  England,  after  expending  over 
$400,000.000  and  losing  fifty  thousand  lives  in  the  contest,  at 
last  decided  to  give  up  the  hopeless  effort  to  subjugate  the  colo- 
nies, and  made  overtures  for  peace.  In  1 782  Congress  appointed 
Mr.  Adams,  Dr.  Franklin,  Mr.  Jay,  Mr.  Henry  Laurens  and  Mr. 
Jefferson  commissioners  for  negotiating  a  peace.  These  able 
statesmen,  like  Mr.  Adams,  were  also  placed  under  an  unworthy 
concession  to  the  French  Government  by  their  instructions, 
but  they  wisely  resolved  to  disobey  the  rash  orders  of  Con- 
gre^s,  and  to  secure  for  our  country  the  many  advantages  which 
the  intriguing  French  Minister  desired  to  secure  for  his  own 
land.  Thus  was  a  most  honorable  and  satisfactory  treaty  of 
peace  secured,  which  was  signed  on  the  30th  of  November,  1782, 
and  ratified  on  the  14th  of  January,  1784,  and  to  the  firmness 
and  ability  of  our  commissioners  is  due  the  thanks  of  the  past, 
present  and  future  generations  of  American  freemen. 


64  LIVES   OF  OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

Having  become  an  independent  nation,  Congress  resolved,  in 
January,  1785,  to  appoint  a  Ministar  Plenipotentiary  at  the  Court 
of  Great  Britain,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  selected  to  perform  the 
important  and  delicate  duties  of  the  office.  The  account  of  the 
reception  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  his  actions  under  the  somewhat 
embarrassing  circumstances  of  the  occasion,  cannot  fail  of  being 
of  universal  interest,  and  this  Mr.  Adams  himself  has  given  to 
history,  in  a  description  of  the  events,  as  follows : 

'•  During  my  interview  with  the  Marquis  of  Carmarthen,  he  told  me  it  was 
customary  for  every  foreign  Minister,  at  his  first  presentation  to  the  King,  to 
make  his  Majesty  some  compliments  conformable  to  the  spirit  of  his  creden- 
tials, and  when  Sir  Clement  Cottrel  Dormer,  the  master  of  the  ceremonies, 
came  to  inform  me  that  he  should  accompany  me  to  the  Secretary  of  State 
and  to  Court,  said  that  every  foreign  Minister  whom  he  had  attended  to  the 
Queen  had  always  made  a  harangue  to  her  Majesty,  aud  he  understood, 
though  he  had  not  been  present,  that  they  always  harangued  the  King.  On 
Tuesday  evening  the  Baron  de  Lynden— Dutch  Ambassador— called  upon  me, 
and  said  be  came  from  the  Baron  de  Nolkin,  Swedish  envoy,  and  had  been 
conversing  upon  the  singular  situation  I  was  in,  and  they  agreed  in  opinion 
that  it  was  indispensable  that  I  should  make  a  speech,  and  that  it  should  be 
as  complimentary  as  possible.  All  this  was  parallel  to  the  advice  lately  given 
by  the  Count  de  Vergennes  to  Mr.  Jefferson.  So  that,  finding  it  was  a  custom 
e.stablished  at  both  these  great  Courts,  that  this  Court  and  the  foreign  Minis- 
ters expected  it,  I  thought  I  could  not  avoid  it,  although  my  first  thought  and 
inclination  bad  been  to  deliver  my  credentials  silently  and  retire.  At  one  on 
Wednesday,  the  first  of  June,  the  master  of  ceremonies  called  at  my  house, 
and  went  with  me  to  the  Secretary  of  State's  office  in  Cleveland  Row,  where 
the  Marquis  of  Carmarthen  received  me  and  introduced  me  to  Mr.  Frazier, 
his  under  secretary,  who  had  been,  as  his  Lordship  said,  uninterruptedly  in 
that  office,  through  all  the  changes  in  administration;  for  thirty  years,  hav- 
ing first  been  appointed  by  the  Earl  of  Holderness.  After  a  short  conversa- 
tion upon  the  subject  of  importing  my  effects  from  Holland  and  France  free 
of  duty,  which  Mr.  Frazier  himself  introduce;!,  Lord  Carmarthen  invited  me 
to  go  with  him  in  his  coach  to  Court.  When  we  arrived  in  the  antechamber, 
the  (Eil  de  Sceuf  of  St.  James,  the  master  of  ceremonies  met  me  and  at- 
tended me  while  the  Secretary  of  fctate  went  to  take  the  commands  of  the 
King.  While  I  stood  in  this  place,  where  it  seems  all  ministers  stand  upon 
such  occasions,  always  attended  by  the  Master  of  Ceremonies,  the  room  very 
full  of  ministers  of  state,  bishops  and  all  sorts  of  courtiers,  as  well  as  t he 
next  room,  which  is  the  King's  bedchamber,  you  may  well  suppose  that  I 
was  the  focus  of  all  eyes.  I  was  relieved,  however,  from  the  embarrassment 
of  it  by  the  Swedish  and  Dutch  ministers,  who  came  to  me  and  entertained 
me  in  a  very  agreeable  conversation  during  the  whole  time.  Some  other 
gentlemen  whom  I  had  seen  before,  came  to  make  their  compliments  too, 


JOHN  ADAMS.  65 


until  the  Marquis  of  Carmarthen  returned  and  desired  me  to  go  with  him  to 
his  Majesty.  I  went  with  his  lordship  through  the  levee  into  the  King's 
closet.  The  door  was  shut,  and  I  was  left  with  his  Majesty  and  the  Secretary 
if  State  alone.  I  made  the  three  reverences;  one  at  the  door,  another  about 
half  way,  and  the  third  before  the  presence,  according  to  the  usage  estab- 
lished at  tin's  and  all  the  Northern  Courts  of  Europe,  and  then  addressed  my- 
self to  his  Majesty  in  the  following  words:  '  Sir,  the  United  States  of  America 
have  appointed  me  their  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  your  Majesty,  and  have 
directed  me  to  deliver  to  your  Majesty  that  which  contains  the  evidence  of 
it.  It  is  in  obedience  to  their  express  commands  that  I  have  the  honor  to  as- 
sure your  Majesty  of  their  unanimous  disposition  and  desire  to  cultivate  the 
most  friendly  and  liberal  intercourse  between  your  Majesty's  subjects  and 
their  citizens,  and  of  their  best  wishes  for  your  Majesty's  health  and  happi- 
ness, and  for  that  of  your  royal  family.  The  appointment  of  a  Minister 
from  the  United  States  to  your  Majesty's  Court  will  form  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  England  and  America.  I  think  myself  more  fortunate  than  all 
my  fellow-citizens  in  having  the  distinguished  honor  to  be  the  first  to  stand 
in  your  .Majesty's  royal  presence  in  a  diplomatic  character,  and  I  shall  esteem 
myself  the  happiest  of  men  if  1  can  be  instrumental  in  recommending  my 
country  more  and  more  to  your  Majesty's  royal  benevolence,  and  of  restor- 
ing an  entire  esteem,  confidence  and  affection,  or,  in  better  words,  "the  old 
good  nature  and  the  old  good  harmony  "  between  people  who,  though  sep- 
arated by  an  ocean  and  under  different  governments,  have  the  same  lan- 
guage, a  similar  religion  and  kindred  blood.  I  beg  your  Majesty 's  permission 
to  add  that,  although  I  have  sometimes  before  been  intrusted  by  my  country, 
it  was  never  in  my  whole  life  so  agreeable  to  myself.'  The  King  listened  to 
every  word  I  said,  with  dignity  it  is  true,  but  with  apparent  emotion.  Whether 
it  was  the  nature  of  the  interview,  or  whether  it  was  my  visible  agitation— 
for  I  felt  more  than  I  did  or  could  express — that  touched  him,  I  cannot  say, 
but  he  was  much  affected,  and  answered  ma  with  more  tremor  than  I  had 
spoken  with,  and  said:  'Sir,  the  circumstances  of  this  audience  are  so  ex- 
traordinary, the  language  you  have  now  held  is  so  extremely  proper,  and  the 
feelings  you  have  discovered  so  justly  adapted  to  the  occasion,  that  I  must 
say  that  I  not  only  receive  with  pleasure  the  assurances  of  the  friendly  dis- 
position of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  but  that  I  am  very  glad  the  choice 
has  fallen  upon  you  to  be  their  Minister.  I  wish  you,  sir,  to  believe,  and  that 
it  may  be  understood  in  America,  that  I  have  done  nothing  in  the  late  c  on  test 
but  what  I  thought  myself  indispensably  bound  to  do  by  the  duty  which  I 
owed  to  my  people.  I  will  be  frank  with  you.  I  was  the  last  to  conform  to 
the  separation,  but  the  separation  having  been  made,  and  having  become  in- 
evitable, I  have  always  said,  as  I  say  now,  that  I  would  be  the  first  to  meet 
the  friendship  of  the  United  States  as  an  independent  power.  The  moment 
I  see  such  sentiments  and  language  as  yours  prevail,  and  a  disposition  to 
give  this  country  the  preference,  that  moment  I  shall  say,  let  the  circum- 
stances of  language,  religion  and  blood  have  their  natural  and  full  effect.' 

"I  dare  not  say  that  these  were  the  King's  precise  wwds,  and  it  is  even 
possible  that  I  may  have  in  some  particular  mistaken  his  meaning,  for  al- 


66  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

though  his  pronunciation  is  as  distinct  as  I  ever  heard,  he  hesitated  some- 
(.imes  between  his  periods,  and  between  the  members  of  the  same  period. 
He  was  indeed  much  affected,  and  I  was  not  less  so,  and  therefore  I  cannot 
be  certain  that  I  was  attentive,  heard  so  clearly  and  understood  so  perfectly 
as  to  be  confident  of  all  his  words  or  sense.  This  I  do  say,  that  the  forego- 
ing is  his  Majesty's  meaning,  as  I  then  understood  it,  and  his  own  words,  as 
nearly  as  I  can  recollect  them. 

"The  King  then  asked  me  whether  I  came  last  from  France,  and  upon  an- 
swering in  the  affirm  ttive,  he  put  on  an  air  of  familiarity,  and  smiling,  or 
rather  laughing,  said  :  '  There  is  an  opinion  among  some  people  that  you  are 
not  the  most  attached  of  all  your  countrymen  to  the  manners  of  France.'  I 
was  surprised  at  this,  because  I  thought  it  an  indiscretion  and  a  descent  from 
his  dignity.  I  was  a  little  embarrassed,  but  determined  not  to  deny  the  truth 
on  one  hand,  nor  leave  him  to  infer  from  it  any  attachment  to  England  on 
the  other.  I  threw  off  as  much  gravity  as  I  could,  and  assumed  an  air  of 
gayety  and  atone  of  decision  as  far  as  it  was  decent:  '  That  opinion,  sir,  is  not 
mistaken.  I  must  avow  to  your  Majesty  I  have  no  attachment  but  to  my 
own  country .'  The  King  replied,  as  quick  as  lightning:  '  An  honest  man  will 
have  no  other.' 

"The  King  then  said  a  word  or  two  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  which  being 
between  them  I  did  not  hear,  and  then  turned  and  bowed  to  me,  as  is  cus- 
tomary with  all  kings  and  princes  when  they  give  the  signal  to  retire.  I  re- 
treated, stepping  backward  as  is  the  etiquette,  and  making  my  last  reverence 
at  the  door  of  the  chamber,  I  went  my  way.  The  Master  of  Ceremonies 
joined  me  at  the  moment  of  my  coming  out  of  the  King's  closet,  and  accom- 
panied me  through  all  the  apartments  down  to  my  carriage.  Several  stages  of 
servants,  gentleman  porters  and  under-porters,  roared  out  like  thunder  as  I 
went  along,  '  Mr.  Adams'  servants,  Mr.  Adams'  carriage,'  etc. " 

The  very  courteous  reception  given  to  Mr.  Adams  at  the  Brit- 
ish Court  led  the  United  States  to  suppose  that  the  relations 
between  the  two  countries  would  be  very  amicable,  but  as  soon 
as  the  matter  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  British  Ministry,  it 
was  soon  made  apparent  that  they  were  unfriendly  toward  us. 
Their  pride  had  been  cut  before  the  world  by  our  victory  over 
them  and  their  loss  of  the  colonies,  and  they  took  a  petty  re- 
venge in  refusing  to  listen  to  any  proposals  for  entering  into  a 
commercial  treaty. 

Mr.  Adams,  during  his  residence  in  London,  found  that  he 
could  render  other  valuable  services  to  his  country  by  the  exer- 
cise of  his  literary  talents  in  the  line  of  statesmanship.  The 
philosophers  and  statesmen  of  Europe  were  deeply  interested  in 
watching  the  results  of  our  experiment  of  self-government,  and 
a  great  variety  of  opinions  were  being  expressed  on  our  pros- 


JOHN  ADAMS.  67 

pects  of  success  or  failure.  Among  the  distinguished  men  who 
expressed  dissatisfaction  with  the  system  of  our  political  organ- 
ization were  Mons.  Turgot,  the  Abbe  de  Mably  and  Dr.  Price. 
In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Price,  M.  Turgot  gave  expression  to  the  follow- 
ing views  :  "The  Americans  have  established  three  bodies,  viz.: 
a  Governor,  Council  and  House  of  Eepresentatives,  merely  be- 
cause there  is  in  England  a  King,  a  House  of  Lords  and  a  House 
of  Commons,  as  if  this  influence,  which  in  England  may  be  a 
necessary  check  to  the  enormous  influence  of  royalty,  could  be 
of  any  use  in  republics  founded  upon  the  equality  of  all  the  citi- 
zens ;"  and  M.  Turgot  continued  by  recommending  that  the 
whole  power  be  concentrated  in  one  representative  assembly. 
Similar  opinions  were  advanced  by  other  authors  of  high  char- 
acter, which  were  calculated  to  unduly  influence  our  people  and 
shake  their  confidence  in  our  system  of  government.  We  were 
then  passing  through  a  dark  period  in  our  history.  The  Federal 
Government  had  not  been  formed,  our  financial  condition  was 
critical,  and  much  despondency  was  felt. 

Mr.  Adams,  to  counteract  these  impressions,  wrote  and  pub- 
lished in  London  his  "  Defense  of  the  American  Constitutions," 
in  three  volumes,  and,  though  hastily  written,  it  was  a  most 
able  work,  and  did  great  service  in  counteracting  the  pernicious 
effects  of  the  expressed  opinions  of  the  savants  of  Europe  and 
restoring  the  confidence  of  our  people  in  our  system  of  govern- 
ment, as  well  as  securing  the  respect  of  other  countries. 

Mr.  Adams  growing  weary  of  the  long  absence  from  his 
family,  asked  and  received  permission  to  return  home  in  1787, 
and  was  again  joined  to  his  family  and  friends,  after  a  separa- 
tion of  eight  or  nine  years,  receiving  on  his  arrival  a  vote  of 
thanks  from  Congress  for  the  able  and  faithful  manner  in  which 
he  had  performed  the  important  commissions  intrusted  with 
him  while  abroad. 

If  Mr.  Adams  had  anticipated  retirement  to  private  life  on  his 
return  to  his  native  country,  he  was  destined  to  disappointment, 
for  in  1788  he  was  elected  Vice-President  of  the  United  States, 
and  re-elected  in  1792.  In  1796  General  Washington  retired 
from  public  life  and  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States, 


68  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

It  seems  strange,  after  the  able  and  patriotic  public  services 
of  Mr.  Adams,  that  he  so  soon  became  unpopiilar  in  his  admin- 
istration of  public  affairs,  but  a  few  facts  in  reference  to  his  ac- 


INDEPKNDENCE   HALL,   PHILADELPHIA. 


tions  may  serve  the  wishes  and  expectations  of  those  seeking 
the  information.  It  was  during  his  administration  that  that 
great  political  convulsion,  the  French  Rovolution,  startled  the 
world,  and  crpaiei]  the  most  intense  excitement  and  misgivings 


JOHN    ADAMS.  69 

as  to  the  limits  it  would  reach  and  its  results.  It  was  viewed 
by  many  of  our  people  as  the  dawning  light  of  freedom  in  Eu- 
rope, and  its  excesses  and  atrocities  were  charitably  viewed  as 
but  the  natural  results  of  the  wild  excitement  which  would 
naturally  take  possession  of  an  enthusiastic,  uneducated  popu- 
lation at  the  sudden  change  from  the  most  galling  despotism  to 
entire  freedom,  and  as  we  were  young  in  the  enjoyment  of  our 
o  \vndearly-bought  republican  institutions,  there  was  an  almost 
universal  expression  of  admiration  and  sympathy.  There  were, 
however,  many  wiser  heads  in  our  country,  who  viewed  the 
French  Revolution  with  alarm  and  disgust.  They  abhorred  its 
countless  atrocities  committed  in  the  name  of  liberty,  regarded 
with  suspicion  and  dislike  the  characters  of  its  leaders,  and 
dreaded  the  influence  of  its  principles  as  tending  to  overthrow 
the  whole  social  fabric  and  introduce  the  most  visionary  schemes 
of  polity  in  the  place  of  the  governments  whose  excellence  had 
stood  the  test  of  ages.  Mr.  Adams  belonged  to  this  class  of 
practical  statesmen,  who  were  naturally  unpopular  with  the 
mass  of  visionary  enthusiasts.  It  is  true,  while  residing  in  Eu- 
rope he  had  imbibed  an  extreme  and  even  unreasonable  preju- 
dice against  the  French  people,  and  he  naturally  viewed  the 
worst  phases  of  their  revolution.  It  must  be  remembered  also 
that  we  were  involved  in  a  dispute  with  France  at  the  com- 
mencement of  his  administration,  and  Mr.  Adams  believed  that 
an  apology  was  due  us  for  an  insult  t  o  our  Ambassador,  while 
the  ma jority  believed  that  our  Minister  had  insulted  France  and 
that  we  should  apologize.  Mr.  Adams,  however,  persisted  in 
his  course,  sending  three  commissioners  to  France,  who  were 
treated  insolently,  for  which  the  public  blamed  Mr.  Adams,  and 
he  failed  to  please  either  his  own  party  or  the  opposition.  This 
bitterness  was  carried  to  a  dishonorable  extreme  and  fomented 
by  the  press,  which  assailed  Mr.  Adams  by  the  violation  of  the 
confidences  of  private  life,  and  in  the  unkindest  and  most  un- 
warrantable personal  allusions.  His  previous  public  acts  were 
warped  and  perverted.  He  was  unjustly  accused  of  favoring 
monarchical  institutions,  and  his  "Defense  of  the  American 
Constitutions,"  with  its  plan  of  an  executive  and  two  houses  of 
legislation,  was  quoted  as  a  proof  of  his  prepossessions  in  favor 


70  11VES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

of  a  king,  lords  and  commons.  Even  his  early  act  of  manly 
moral  courage  in  defending  Captain  Preston  was  cited  as  an 
evidence  of  his  being  under  British  influence.  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son was  one  of  his  political  opponents  who  retained  the  highest 
personal  respect  for  the  political  integrity  of  Mr.  Adams,  and 
upon  one  occasion  he  defended  Mr.  Adams  from  the  accusations 
of  some  young  politicians  in  his  presence  by  saying  :  "Gentle- 
men, you  do  not  know  that  man.  There  is  not  upon  this  earth 
a  more  perfectly  honest  man  than  John  Adams.  Concealment 
is  no  part  of  his  character.  It  is  not  in  his  nature  to  meditate 
anything  that  he  would  not  publish  to  the  world.  The  meas- 
ures of  the  general  government  are  a  fair  subject  for  differences 
of  opinion,  but  do  not  found  your  opinion  on  the  notion  that 
there  is  the  smallest  spice  of  dishonesty,  moral  or  political,  in 
the  character  of  John  Adams,  for  I  know  him  well,  and  I  repeat, 
that  a  man  more  perfectly  honest  never  issued  from  the  hands 
of  his  Creator." 

Mr.  Adams  also  made  himself  somewhat  unpopular  in  his 
efforts  to  establish  a  navy,  and  he  deserves  the  title  of  Father  of 
the  American  Navy. 

He  lacked  those  dignified  and  conciliatory  manners  which 
Mr.  Jefferson  possessed,  and  in  moments  of  excitement  he  was 
often  led  into  intemperate  expressions  and  rash  actions. 

At  the  end  of  his  Presidential  term,  in  March,  1801,  he  retired 
to  his  home  in  Quincy,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age, 
where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days,  where  agricultural 
and  literary  pursuits,  and  correspondence  and  entertainment  of 
friends,  filled  the  measure  of  his  time.  He  defended  the  policy 
of  Mr.  Jefferson's  administration  toward  England,  and  opposed 
the  views  of  the  people  of  his  own  State  in  advocating  the  expe- 
diency of  the  war  which  was  then  inevitable  between  the  two 
countries.  In  1815,  however,  he  had  the  gratification  of  seeing 
his  son  at  the  head  of  the  commission  which  signed  the  treaty 
of  peace  with  Great  Britain.  In  1816  he  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  College  of  Electors,  which  voted  for  Mr.  Monroe  for 
President. 

In  1818  he  was  called  upon  to  sustain  the  deepest  affliction  of 
his  life,  the  death  of  his  beloved  and  faithful  wife,  who  had 


AMS.  71 

shared  with  him  all  the  mingled  joys  and  sorrows  of  his  exist- 
ence, and  with  him  borne  all  sacrifices  for  their  country's  sake. 
On  this  occasion  he  received  the  following  beautiful  letter 
from  Mr.  Jefferson,  between  whom  and  himself  a  warm  friend- 
ship had  been  renewed : 

"MONTICELLO,  NOV.  13,  1818. 

"The  public  papers,  my  dear  friend,  announce  the  fatal  event  of  which 
your  letter  of  October  20th  had  given  me  ominous  foreboding.  Triec'  myself 
in  the  school  of  affliction,  by  the  loss  of  every  form  of  connection  which  can 
rive  the  human  heart,  I  know  well  and  fell  what  you  have  lost,  what  you  have 
suffered,  are  suffering  and  have  yet  to  endure.  The  same  trials  have  taught 
me  that  fcr  ills  so  immeasurable,  time  and  silence  are  the  only  medicines. 
I  will  not,  therefore,  by  useless  condolence  open  afresh  the  sluices  of  your 
grief,  nor,  although  mingling  sincerely  my  tears  with  yours,  will  I  say  a  word 
mere  where  words  are  vain;  but  that  it  is  some  comfort  to  us  both  that  the 
time  is  cot  very  distant  at  which  we  are  to  deposit  in  the  same  c:  rement  our 
sorrows  and  suffering  bodies,  and  to  ascend  in  essence  to  an  ecstatic  meet- 
ing with  the  friends  we  have  loved  and  lost,  and  whom  we  shall  still  love 
and  never  lose  again.  God  bless  you  and  su  port  you  under  your  heavy 
affliction.  THOMAS  JEITFERSON." 

In  1820  a  convention  of  the  people  of  Massachusetts  was  called 
for  the  purpose  of  revising  their  State  Constitution.  To  this 
Convention  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  as  a  member  from  Quincy, 
and  in  compliment  to  his  high  services  to  his  country,  and  in 
respect  for  his  character,  he  was  unanimously  elected  to  preside 
over  the  body,  and  a  very  flattering  preamble  and  resolution 
was  passed  and  offered  to  him  as  a  token  to  his  great  powers  of 
mind,  his  prof ound  wisdom,  his  fearless  vindication  of  the  rights 
of  the  North  American  provinces,  his  diffusion  of  a  knowledge 
of  the  principles  of  civil  liberty  among  his  fellow-subjects,  his 
early  conception  of  the  ideas  of  independence,  the  powerful  aid 
of  his  political  knowledge  in  the  formation  of  the  State  and  Na- 
tional Constitutions,  in  conciliating  foreign  powers,  in  nego- 
tiating the  treaty  of  peace,  in  demonstrating  to  the  world  the 
excellence  of  our  form  of  government,  in  devoting  his  time  and 
talents  to  the  service  of  the  nation,  and  lastly,  in  passing  an 
honorable  old  age  in  dignified  retirement ;  therefore  it  was  re- 
solved that  the  members  of  the  Convention  testify  their  respect 
and  gratitude  to  this  eminent  patriot  and  statesman  for  the 
great  services  rendered  by  him  to  his  country,  and  their  high 


72  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

gratification  that  at  this  late  period  of  life  he  was  permitted,  by 
Divine  Providence,  to  assist  them  with  his  counsel  in  revising 
the  Constitution  which,  forty  years  before,  his  wisdom  and  pru- 
dence assisted  to  form. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  wait  upon  him  to  communicate 
the  proceedings,  and  to  inform  him  of  his  election  to  preside 
over  the  Convention,  but  on  account  of  his  advanced  age,  being 
then  eighty-five  years  old,  he  was  compelled  to  decline  the  honor 
of  being  their  presiding  officer ;  but  he  sti  1  fulfilled  his  duties  as 
a  member. 

The  world  has  rarely  seen  a  spectacle  of  greater  moral  beauty 
and  grandeur  than  was  presented  by  Mr.  Adams  in  his  old  age. 
Party  prejudices  and  rivalries  had  died  away,  and  the  full  ap- 
preciation of  his  noble  and  lifelong  patriotic  services  began  to 
be  accorded  to  him  while  he  yet  lived.  His  domestic  and  social 
relations  had  always  been  happy,  and  he  was  surrounded  by  a 
large  circle  of  admiring  friends.  Visitors  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  came  to  see  and  pay  their  respects  to  the  venerable  old 
man  who  had  done  so  much  for  his  country,  and  those  who 
looked  upon  his  aged  form  could  not  but  think  how  much  of 
the  strength  and  prime  of  manhood  he  had  given  up  for  the 
public  good.  Kindly  had  Providence  spared  him  to  witness  the 
complete  success  of  the  institutions  he  had  so  arduously  labored 
for  and  assisted  in  creating  and  supporting.  He  could  see  the 
growing  strength  of  our  country  as  it  was  reaching  out  over  the 
broad  land,  and  building  towns  and  cities  and  adding  new 
States  to  the  glorious  nation.  Preserving  his  mind  bright  and 
unclouded  to  the  last,  he  retained  his  enjoyment  of  books,  con- 
versation and  reflection.  In  1824  an  additional  gratification  was 
added  to  his  life  by  the  election  of  his  son  to  the  highest  office 
in  the  gift  of  the  people. 

At  last,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1826,  a  strange  coincidence  oc- 
curred, which  thrilled  the  country  as  though  it  were  a  direct 
and  special  manifestation  of  God's  power.  When  the  morning 
of  that  memorable  day  dawned,  which  completed  the  half-cen- 
tury since  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  there 
were  but  three  of  the  signers  of  that  immortal  instrument  left 
upon  earth  to  hail  its  morning  light,  and  when  the  sun  had  set 


JOHN  ADAM8.  73 

two  of  their  souls  had  fled  to  God  ;  a  coincidence  which  appears 
almost  miraculous.  Mr.  Adams  had  for  several  days  been 
rapidly  failing,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  he  was  too 
weak  to  rise  from  his  bed.  His  attendants  requesting  from  him 
a  toast  for  the  customary  celebration  of  the  day,  he  exclaimed : 
'•  Independence  forever  !"  And  while  the  ringing  of  bells  and 
firing  of  cannon  were  ushering  in  the  day,  he  was  asked  if  he 
know  what  day  it  was,  and  replied:  "Oh,  yes,  it  is  the  glorious 
Fourth  of  July.  God  bless  it ;  God  bless  all  of  you."  Gradually 
sinking  as  the  day  progressed,  his  last  words  were  :  "  Jefferson 
survives. "  But  at  one  o'clock  the  earthly  pilgrimage  of  Thomas 
Jefferson  had  ended,  and  together  on  the  same  day  the  souls  of 
these  heroes  and  patriots  were  taking  their  flight  upward  and 
onward  beyond  world  and  planet  and  star. 

When  the  news  spread  throughout  the  country  that  these  two 
men,  so  identified  with  the  glory  and  prosperity  of  their  coun- 
try, had  both  died  on  the  same  day,  there  was  a  solemn  thrill 
throughout  the  land,  and  the  general  feeling,  in  the  language  of 
one  of  the  eulogists,  was  ' '  that,  had  the  prophet  led  his  '  chariot 
of  fire'  and  his  'horses  of  fire,'  their  ascent  could  hardly  have 
been  more  glorious,"  and  a  solemn  commemoration  of  their 
death  was  everywhere  held. 

Mr.  Adams  was  the  father  of  four  children,  of  whom  only  his 
son  John  Quincy  Adams  reached  any  degree  of  distinction.  To 
this  son  he  left  his  mansion  and  his  valuable  papers.  To  the 
town  of  Quincy  he  gave  a  lot  on  which  to  erect  a  church  of  the 
denomination  of  which  he  had  been  a  member  for  sixty  years. 
He  also  bequeathed  another  lot  to  the  town  for  an  academy 
and  gave  them  for  its  use  his  library  of  more  than  two  thousand 
volumes. 

Thus  ended  the  life  and  public  labors  of  this  great  patriot  and 
statesman,  and  thus  he  passed  away  from  earth,  leaving  a  name 
and  memory  which  will  never  die. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 


The  life  of  the  man  who  framed  (he  immortal  Declaration  of 
Independence  is  one  in  which  the  lover  of  his  country  and  the 
admirer  of  her  institutions  cannot  fail  to  take  deep  interest.  It 
is  but  natural  that  men  will  seek  to  know  the  origin  of  one  who 
has  been  intrusted  with  the  destini'  s  of  a  nation,  and  the  facts 
of  his  early  life,  and  of  the  expanding  of  his  mind.  With 
eager  curiosity  we  look  back,  and  in  the  sports  of  his  childhood, 
in  the  pursuit's  and  occupations  of  his  youth,  we  seek  the  origin 
and  source  of  all  that  is  noble  and  exalted  in  the  man,  the 
germ  and  the  bud  from  which  have  burst  forth  the  fair  fruit 
and  the  beautiful  flower ;  and  we  carefully  treasure  up  each 
trifling  incident  and  childish  expression,  in  the  hope  to  trace  in 
them  some  feature  of  his  after  greatness. 

Feeling  that  even  the  childhood  of  a  man  like  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, and  the  growth  of  those  feelings  and  opinions  which  after- 
ward embodied  themselves  in  the  Declaration  of  American 
Independence,  would  be  interesting  to  every  American,  we 
should  deem  it  fortunate  could  we  give  even  a  short  sketch  of 
his  early  life.  But  of  this  or  of  his  family  we  have  few  accounts, 
and  must  therefore  content  ourselves  with  a  general  outline  of 
his  after  life,  so  full  of  striking  events  and  useful  labors. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  the  third  President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  the  year  1743,  at  Shadwell,  the  family  estate  of  his 
father,  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.,  not  far  from  Monticello, 
where  he  afterward  resided.  At  a  very  early  period  in  the 
history  of  the  country  his  family  emigrated  from  Wales  and 
became  respectable  citizens  in  the  colonies.  His  father  was 
Peter  Jefferson,  who  was  married  in  1739  to  Jane,  daughter  of 
Isham  Randolph,  by  whom  he  had  six  daughters  and  two  sons, 
of  whom  Thomas  was  the  elder.  Peter  Jefferson  was  a  self- 


7fi  LIVES  Ol?  OlfR  PRESIDENTS. 

educated  man  of  talent  and  science,  and  at  rather  an  early  day 
was  appointed,  together  with  Joshua  Fry,  then  Professor  of 
Mathematics  in  William  and  Mary  College,  to  complete  the 
boundary  line  between  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  which  had 
been  begun  some  time  before  ;  and  also  to  make  the  first  map 
of  the  State,  since  that  made  or  rather  conjectured  by  Captain 
Smith  could  scarcely  be  called  one. 

At  the  age  of  five  years  Thomas  was  sent  to  an  English  school, 
and  at  the  age  of  nine  was  placed  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Douglass, 
with  whom  he  continued  until  his  father's  death  in  August, 
1757,  by  which  event  he  became  possessed  OL'  the  estate  of 
Shadwell,  his  birthplace.  For  two  years  after  his  father's 
death  he  received  instructions  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Maury,  a  fine 
classical  scholar,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  the  year  1760,  he 
entered  William  and  Mary  College,  at  which  he  remained  two 
years.  Of  his  instructor  at  this  famous  college  he  wrote  as 
follows : 

"  It  was  my  great  fortune,  and  probably  fixed  the  destinies  of  my  life,  that 
Dr.  William  Small,  of  Scotland,  was  then  Professor  of  Mathematics  ;  a  man 
profound  in  most  of  the  useful  branches  of  science,  with  a  happy  talent  of  com- 
municatior ,  correct  and  gentlem inly  manners  and  an  enlarged  and  liberal 
mind.  He,  most  happily  for  me,  soon  became  attached  to  me,  and  made  me 
his  daily  companion,  when  not  engaged  i:i  the  school ;  and  from  his  conver- 
sation I  got  my  first  views  of  the  expansion  of  science,  and  of  the  system  of 
things  in  which  we  are  placed.  Fortunately  the  philosophical  chair  became 
vacant  soon  after  my  arrival  at  college,  and  he  was  appointed  to  fill  it  ad 
interim ,'  and  he  was  the  first  who  ever  gave  in  that  college  regular  lectures 
in  Ethics,  Rhetoric  and  Belles  Lettres.  He  returned  to  Europe  iu  1762.  hav- 
ing previously  filled  up  the  measure  of  his  goodness  to  me  by  procuring  for 
me  from  his  most  intimate  friend,  George  Wythe,  a  reception  as  a  student  of 
law  under  his  direction,  and  introduced  me  to  the  acquaintance  and  familiar 
table  of  Governor  Farquier,  the  ablest  man  who  had  ever  filled  that  office. 
With  him  and  at  his  table,  Dr.  Small  and  Mr.  Wythe,  his  amid  omnium 
horarum  and  myself,  formed  &partie  quarree,  and  to  the  habitual  conversa- 
tion on  these  occasions  I  owed  much  instruction.  Mr.  "Wythe  continued  to 
be  my  faithfu  and  beloved  mentor  in  youth,  and  my  most  affectionate  friend 
through  life." 

In  1767  Mr.  Jefferson  embarked  in  the  practice  of  law,  and 
rapidly  rose  in  his  profession,  in  which  he  distinguished  himself 
by  his  energy  and  great  legal  talent.  It  will  never  be  known  to 
what  eminence  he  would  have  reached  in  the  profession,  for  the 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON.  77 

emergencies  of  the  times  soon  called  him  out  of  the  dull  pro- 
ceedings and  limited  sphere  of  a  colonial  court  to  the  higher 
duties  of  patriotism  and  statesmanship.  England,  which  had 
never  been  hind  toward  her  colonies,  was  gradually  becoming 
more  oppressive  toward  (hem,  and  was  continually  manifesting 
some  open  violation  of  the  rights  of  her  American  subjects. 
Her  ministers  exhibited  either  an  ignorance  or  blindness  to  the 
consequences  of  an  oppression  of  the  Pilgrims  who  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  seek  a  refuge  from  the  oppression  of  a  King*  and  an 
Archbishop,  and  they  seemed  utterly  unconscious  that  the 
same  spirit  of  liberty  that  led  them  to  their  wilderness  home 
would  compel  them,  now  that  the  arrn  of  the  oppressor  had  fol- 
lowed them  across  the  water,  to  resist,  even  unto  blood,  the 
exactions  of  a  Parliament.  The  oppressive  acts  of  the  British 
Cabinet  were  already  arousing  a  spirit  of  resistance  in  the 
colonies,  which  was  stirring  the  people  from  Massachusetts  to 
the  Carolinas,  and  each  encroachment  of  the  mother  country 
was  watched  with  the  utmost  vigilance,  and  discussed  in  the 
political  arena  of  every  village.  The  courts  of  law  were  soon 
deserted  ;  the  rights  of  individuals  were  forgotten  for  the  rights 
of  nations  ;  the  contests  for  things  were  forgotten  in  the  con- 
tests for  principles. 

These  difficulties  opened  up  to  Mr.  Jefferson  a  new  field,  and 
abandoning  almost  entirely  the  profession  of  the  law,  he  took 
an  ac'ive  part  in  political  life,  for  which  his  qualifications  and 
inclinations  so  eminently  fitted  Mm.  Recognizing  his  political 
fitness,  the  people  of  Albemarle  County  re-elected  him  to  repre- 
sent them  as  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia.  In 
this  session  he  made  his  premature  effort  for  the  emancipation 
of  slaves,  but  without  success,  as  the  personal  interests  involved 
were  too  large,  and  as  England  was  reaping  indirectly  too  great 
benefit  from  the  institution  of  slavery  for  anything  so  liberal  to 
expect  success.  This  session  of  the  Assembly  was  of  short 
duration,  on  account  of  its  dissolution  by  Lord  Botetourt,  the 
English  Colonial  Governor  of  Virginia,  who  took  offense  at  the 
passage  of  certain  resolutions  indorsing  the  action  of  Massachu- 
setts in  resisting  the  imposition  of  England.  This  action  of  the 
Colonial  Governor  did  not  relegate  Mr.  Jefferson  to  private  life. 


78  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

for  he  was  immediately  re-elected,  and  continued  a  member 
until  the  Revolution  put  an  end  to  the  meeting  of  those  bodies. 
The  people  of  Virginia  were  quick  to  resent  by  their  voice  the 
oppression  of  Great  Britain,  and  in  1773  her  Legislature  appointed 
Mr.  Jefferson  on  the  committee  of  correspondence  to  communi- 
cate with  similar  committees  to  be  appointed  in  other  colonies 


RESIDENCE  OF  THOMAS   JEFFERSON  AT  MONTICELLO,  VA. 

for  the  purpose  of  organized  resistance  to  British  aggression. 
This  was  a  wise  measure,  and  it  soon  became  apparent  that 
in  union  there  was  strength,  and  that  co-operatioii  between 
the  colonies  for  a  common  cause  would  cement  them  in  a 
national  bond  which  had  never  before  existed.  Although  the 
people  of  Virginia  were  ready  to  show  their  spirit  of  resistance 
and  their  determination  not  to  submit  to  any  infringement  of 
their  liberties,  they  were  not  so  far  advanced  in  their  opposition. 


THOMAS  JEFFEKSON.  79 

to  the  encroachments  of  the  British  Government  as  Massachu- 
setts. It  was  particularly  the  latter  State,  and  especially  Boston, 
that  had  felt  the  weight  of  the  British  heel,  and  her  cup  of 
wrongs  was  nearly  full  when  the  Boston  Port  Bill  completed 
the  measure.  The  passage  of  this  bill  caused  a  profound  sensa- 
tion throughout  the  country,  and  roused  the  people  to  a  realiza- 
tion of  the  situation.  This  overt  act  of  the  British  Government 
in  closing  the  Port  of  Boston,  while  bearing  upon  the  direct 
interests  and  prosperity  of  only  that  town  and  colony,  its  prin- 
ciple reached  the  entire  country,  and  showed  conclusively  the 
determination  of  England  to  destroy  one  by  one  the  liberties  of 
America,  and  it  taught  them  that  they  must  live  and  die  the 
slaves  of  absolute  power,  or  promptly  and  manfully  make  com- 
mon cause  with  Massachusetts.  The  Assembly  of  Virginia  was 
in  session  when  the  Port  Bill  was  passed,  and  Patrick  Henry, 
Jefferson  and  a  few  other  fearless  patriots  among  the  members 
secured  the  passage  of  a  resolution  setting  apart  the  first  day  of 
June,  1774,  on  which  the  act  was  to  go  into  operation,  as.  a  day 
of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer,  and  in  its  language,  "de- 
voutly to  implore  the  Divine  interposition  for  averting  the 
heavy  calamities  which  threatened  destruction  to  their  civil 
rights,  and  the  evils  of  a  civil  war,  and  to  give  them  one  mind  to 
oppose  by  all  just  and  proper  means  every  injury  to  American 
rights." 

It  was  but  natural  that  this  resolution  offended  the  loyal 
devotion  of  Governor  Lord  Dunmore,  who  immediately  exer- 
cised his  royal  prerogative  of  dissolving  the  Assembly.  The 
members,  not  to  be  thwarted  by  their  British  Governor,  met  in 
convention  as  private  individuals  and  passed  resolutions  recom- 
mending the  people  of  the  colony  to  elect  deputies  to  a  State 
Convention,  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  affairs  of  the 
colony  and  also  to  appoint  delegates  to  a  General  Congress  in 
case  such  a  measure  should  be  agreed  to  by  the  other  colonies. 

To  the  State  Convention  which  met  in  pursuance  of  these 
resolutions,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  chosen  a  member,  but  being 
prevented  by  sickness  from  attending,  he  sent  a  draft  of  some 
instructions  for  the  delegates  to  the  General  Congress.  These 
instructions,  on  account  of  their  bold  assertion  of  the  rights  of 


80  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

the  colonies,  their  denial  of  the  authority  claimed  by  Parlia- 
ment to  legislate  for  them,  and  their  strong  comments  on  the 
King  and  the  administration,  were  thought  by  more  moderate 
members  too  severe,  and  they  refused  to  adopt  them,  but  they 
were  published  by  the  convention  under  the  name  of  "  A  Sum- 
mary View  of  the  Rights  of  British  America."  The  pamphlet 
naturally  found  its  way  to  England,  where,  after  some  altera- 
tions, it  was  published  and  several  editions  circulated.  The 
result  was  that  Mr.  Jefferson  was  threatened  with  a  prosecu- 
tion for  high  treason  by  Lord  Dunmore,  while  in- England  his 
name  was  added  to  those  of  Hancock,  Patrick  Henry,  the  Ad- 
amses and  others  in  a  bill  of  attainder  commenced  in  Parlia- 
ment but  suppressed  in  its  early  stages. 

At  a  period  in  our  history  when  scarcely  any  one  had  thought 
of  separation  from  the  mother  country  as  a  remedy  for  our 
wrongs,  and  when  many  of  the  most  ardent  patriots  of  our 
subsequent  Revolution  only  desired  England  to  deal  with  us 
more  fairly  as  loyal  subjects,  the  position  taken  by  Jefferson 
was  indeed  a  bold  one.  Mr.  Jefferson  explained  his  position  as 
follows  : 

"  I  took  the  ground  that,  from  the  beginning,  I  had  thought  the  only  one 
orthodox  or  tenable,  which  was  that  the  relation  between  Great  Britain  and 
these  colonies  was  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  England  and  Scotland  after 
the  accession  of  James  and  until  the  Union,  the  same  as  her  present  relations 
with  Hanover,  having  the  same  executive  chief,  but  no  other  necessary  po  iti- 
cal  connection  ;  and  that  our  emigration  from  England  to  this  country  gave 
her  no  more  rights  over  us  than  the  emigrations  of  the  Danes  and  Saxons 
gave  to  the  present  authorities  of  the  mother  country  over  England.  In 
this  doctrine,  however,  I  had  never  been  able  to  get  any  one  to  agree  with 
me.  buc  Mr.  Wythe.  He  concurred  in  it  from  the  first  dawn  of  the  question. 
What  was  the  political  relation  between  us  and  England  ?  Our  other 
patriots,  Randolph,  the  Lees,  Nicholas,  Pendleton,  stopped  at  the  half-way 
house  of  John  Dickinson,  who  admitted  that  England  had  a  right  to  regulate 
our  commerce,  and  to  lay  duties  on  it  for  the  purpose  of  regulation,  but  not 
of  raising  revenue.  But  for  this  ground  there  was  no  foundation  in  com- 
pact, ia  any  acknowledged  principles  of  colonization,  nor  in  reason,  expa- 
triation being  a  natural  right,  and  acted  on  as  such  by  all  nations  in  all  ages. ' ' 

Mr.  Jefferson,  not  being  a  member  of  the  First  Congress, 
which  met  in  Philadelphia  September  5th,  1774,  in  pursuance 
of  resolutions  passed  by  the  several  colonies  according  to  th§ 


THOMAS  JEFFEKSON  81 

action  and  suggestions  of  Virginia,  the  proceedings  of  that 
first  session  do  not  constitute  any  part  of  the  facts  in  the  life 
of  Mr.  Jefferson  and  are  not  here  mentioned.  But  before  the 
meeting  of  the  Second  Congress,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  to 
serve  in  place  of  Peyton  Randolph,  who,  being  Speaker  of  the 
Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  was  obliged  to  attend  the  meet- 
ing of  that  body,  and  to  fill  the  vacancy  Mr.  Jefferson  took  his 
seat  on  the  twenty-first  of  June,  1775,  and  was  soon  placed  on 
several  very  important  committees. 

To  prove  the  confidence  reposed  in  Mr.  Jefferson,  it  may  be 
related  that  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia  with  his 
colleagues,  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Harrison,  they  received  a  very  flat- 
tering compliment  from  a  number  of  their  fellow  citizens  who 
met  them.  These  persons  were  inhabitants  of  the  colony, 
living  at  a  remote  part  of  the  country,  and  having  heard  by 
report  only  of  the  tyranny  which  was  preparing  to  place  its 
foot  upon  our  necks,  and  addressing  Mr.  Jefferson  and  his  asso- 
ciates, they  said  :  "  You  assert  that  there  is  a  fixed  design  to 
invade  our  rights  and  privileges.  We  own  that  we  do  not  see 
this  clearly,  but  since  you  assure  us  that  this  is  so,  we  believe 
the  fact.  We  are  about  to  take  a  very  dangerous  step,  but  we 
confide  in  you  and  are  ready  to  support  you  in  every  measure 
you  shall  think  proper  to  adopt."  This  session  was  followed  by 
the  re-election  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  by  the  Convention  of  Virginia, 
to  the  Third  Congress,  in  which  he  also  took  an  active  part. 

To  us  who  now  look  calmly  back  on  the  events  of  that  mo- 
mentous period,  the  conduct  of  the  British  Ministry  seems  little 
short  of  infatuation.  When  the  American  colonists  first  raised 
their  voice  against  the  acts  of  Parliament,  it  was  but  to  obtain 
a  redress  for  a  few  particular  grievances.  The  thought  had  not 
occurred  to  them  of  a  separation  from  the  mother  country,  and 
had  it  been  but  whispered  to  them,  the  proposition  would  have 
been  universally  rejected.  They  loved  their  fatherland  ;  they 
were  Englishmen,  or  the  sons  of  Englishmen,  and  they  looked 
up  to  the  institutions  and  customs  of  England  with  the  deepest 
veneration.  They  would  have  endured  anything  but  slavery, 
everything  but  the  loss  of  those  rights  which,  as  Englishmen, 
they  believed  inalienable,  and  which  they  held  dearer  than 


8  LIVES  OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

existence  itself  ;  and  had  the  British  Ministry  but  adopted  con- 
ciliatory measures  and  relaxed  somewhat  their  pretensions,  they 
might  still  have  retained  the  brightest  jewel  of  the  British 
Crown.  But  instead  of  adopting  the  wise  counsels  of  Chatham 
and  Burke,  they  imposed  greater  burdens  and  added  insult  to 
oppression,  till  it  was  too  late  ;  till  the  spirit  of  opposition  had 
acquired  a  fearful  and  resistless  energy  ;  till  the  cloud,  at  first 
no  larger  than  a  man's  hand,  had  spread  over  the  whole 
heavens,  and  the  storm  burst  with  a  violence  that  swept  before 
it  the  firmest  bulwarks  of  British  power.  For  a  year  or  two 
before  the  meeting  of  the  Congress  of  1776,  the  belief  that  a 
separation  from  the  mother  country  was  necessary  had  pre- 
vailed among  the  leading  men  of  the  colonies,  and  was  now 
fast  increasing  among  the  great  body  of  the  people.  They  felt 
that  the  period  for  reconciliation  had  gone  by.  The  blood  of 
American  citizens  had  been  shed  upon  the  plains  of  Lex- 
ington and  Concord,  and  on  the  heights  of  Bunker  Hill,  and 
nothing  was  now  left  but  a  resort  to  arms  and  an  assumption  of 
their  rights  as  an  independent  nation. 

To  Virginia  and  her  delegates,  of  whom  Mr.  Jefferson  was 
one  of  the  most  prominent,  belongs  the  honor  of  having  intro- 
duced the  memorable  resolution  in  Congress  on  the  7th  day  of 
June,  1776,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  given  them  by 
the  Convention  of  Virginia  :  ' '  That  the  Congress  should  declare 
that  these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free 
and  independent  States  ;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all  alle- 
giance to  the  British  Crown,  and  that  all  political  connection 
between  them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britain  is  and  ought  to 
be  totally  dissolved  :  that  measures  should  be  immediately 
taken  for  securing  the  assistance  of  foreign  powers,  and  a 
confederation  be  formed  to  bind  the  colonists  more  closely 
together."  This  was  a  bold  and  startling  move,  and  such  a 
proposition,  so  full  of  grave  and  doubtful  consequences,  was 
not  to  be  adopted  without  mature  deliberation,  and  the  follow- 
ing Saturday  and  Monday  it  was  under  full  discussion,  when  it 
was  postponed  for  further  consideration  to  the  first  day  of  July, 
and  a  committee  of  five  were  appointed  to  draft  a  Declaration 
of  Independence.  The  members  selected  for  this  committee 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON.  88 

were  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Dr.  Franklin,  Roger 
Sherman,  and  Robert  R.  Livingston.  Mr.  Jefferson,  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee,  was  desired  by  his  colleagues  to  prepare 
the  draft. 

It  is  certainly  appropriate  here  to  consider  the  causes  which 
had  been  drifting  the  colonists  to  this  resolute  determination 
to  sever  the  ties  between  them  and  the  mother  country. 

England  had  never  been  a  kind  mother  to  her  children  be- 
yond the  sea,  but  her  treatment  of  them  had  always  been  arbi- 
trary, overbearing  and  unjust.  The  colonists  had  been  left  to 
take  care  of  themselves,  and  had  grown  up  entirely  without 
her  aid  or  fostering  care.  The  wide  ocean  separated  them  from 
all  other  civilized  nations,  and  England  had  given  them  neither 
troops  nor  money  to  aid  them  in  their  struggle  against  the  wil- 
derness and  the  savage  foe  who  continually  marked  the  track 
of  their  inhuman  warfare  by  the  blood  of  the  wives  and  chil- 
dren and  the  ashes  of  the  dwellings  of  the  settlers,  and  never 
did  England  send  a  soldier  to  stay  the  red  hand  of  the  blood- 
thirsty foe.  Her  first  soldiers  sent  were  directed  against  the 
French,  and  the  next  were  sent  to  shed  the  blood  of  the  colonists 
and  to  incite  the  fiendish  savages  to  still  greater  butchery  and 
cruelty.  In  the  face  of  all  these  difficulties  the  colonists  had 
subdued  the  forests,  cultivated  the  soil,  built  up  flourishing 
towns  over  every  part  of  the  Atlantic  States  and  sent  their  ships 
forth  to  every  part  of  the  commercial  world.  This  success  but 
served  to  incite  the  cupidity  and  avaricious  nature  of  England, 
and  she  at  once  conceived  the  idea  of  making  the  colonies  a 
source  of  wealth  to  herself  and  determined  to  fill  her  coffers  by 
the  sweat  of  their  brow.  As  soon  as  she  saw  from  the  rapidly 
increasing  wealth  and  power  of  the  colonies  that  they  could  be 
made  a  source  of  a  great  and  continually  growing  revenue,  she 
thought  of  protection.  From  that  moment  it  became  the  fixed 
and  determined  policy  of  the  British  Government  to  make 
America  in  everything  contribute  to  the  wealth,  the  importance 
and  the  glory  of  England,  and  every  step  she  took  in  this  direc- 
tion disregarded  their  rights  and  welfare.  One  of  the  first 
encroachments  upon  their  rights  was  by  denying  them  the 
exercise  of  free  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world.  This  was 


&4  LIVES  Otf  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

necessary  in  furtherance  of  the  intentions  of  England  to  make 
them  a  source  of  great  profit.  To  accomplish  this,  Great  Britain 
was  to  be  the  depot  of  American  exports,  into  which  they 
should  pour  the  fruits  of  their  skill  and  labor,  to  be  afterward 
shipped  to  other  countries  by  British  merchants,  who  would 
thereby  secure  the  profit  rightfully  belonging  to  the  colonist:. 
As  a  source  of  still  greater  profit  to  their  greedy  and  unnatural 
mother,  the  colonies  were  compelled  to  buy  all  their  necessary 
articles  of  consumption  from  the  British  manufacturers  at 
such  prices  as  they,  without  any  foreign  competition,  might 
choose  to  demand.  That  British  coffers  might  fill  up  more 
rapidly,  the  colonists  were  forbidden  to  manufacture  for 
themselves,  or  if  permitted  in  any  case  it  was  only  to  pre- 
pare the  raw  material  for  the  hands  of  the  British  work- 
men, and  the  Colonial  Governors  were  ordered  to  abate 
certain  kinds  of  manufactories  and  mills  as  common  nui- 
sances to  English  pockets.  Encouraged  by  the  profit  of 
regulating  American  commerce,  Great  Britain's  next  step  was 
to  interfere  in  our  domestic  affairs  in  almost  every  conceivable 
encroachment,  of  which  the  Stamp  Act,  the  Tea  Act,  the  Bos- 
ton Port  Bill,  and  similar  invasions  of  the  rights  of  the  colonists 
are  fair  samples.  But  the  descendants  of  those  men  who  had 
dared  all  the  hardships  of  an  inhospitable  shore  and  an  unex- 
plored wilderness  were  not  to  be  tamely  enslaved ;  men  who 
had  the  bravery  to  meet  the  hostile  savage  in  defense  of  their 
homes  possessed  too  much  courage  to  permit  their  rights  and 
liberties  to  be  taken  from  them,  one  by  one,  without  raising  a 
voice  or  an  arm  in  their  defense.  Being  either  natives  of  England 
or  descendants  of  natives,  they  believed  they  were  entitled  to  the 
same  rights  and  privileges  as  if  living  under  the  home  govern- 
ment in  England,  and  under  the  firm  conviction  of  this  right 
they  were  determined  to  contend  for  its  principles.  The  first 
attempts  to  deprive  them  of  rights  were  met  by  petitions ; 
those  appeals  were  treated  with  disregard  and  other  oppressions 
were  put  on  them  ;  remonstrances  were  met  by  insult,  and  every 
opportunity  was  sought  to  irritate  them.  In  vain  did  Burke 
raise  his  voice  against  this  mad  policy  ;  in  vain  did  Chatham 
warn  them  of  the  disastrous  consequences.  They  were  blind 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON.  85 

to  everything  but  arrogant  and  malicious  motives,  and  they 
heaped  up  the  measure  of  bitterness  for  the  colonies  until  men 
could  alone  appeal  to  arms  for  the  justness  of  the'r  cause.  That 
hour  had  arrived,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  was  intrusted  with 
the  high  and  patriotic  duty  of  preparing  that  Declaration 
which  was  to  announce  the  wrongs  of  America  to  the  world 
and  to  proclaim  her  free,  sovereign  and  independent.  For 
himself  he  had  not  a  thought ;  a  cold,  calculating  prudence 
in  vain  warned  him  of  the  greatness  of  the  risk,  and  the  small- 
ness  of  the  chance  of  success  ;  in  vain  told  him  of  his  country 
pillaged  by  foreign  troops  and  deluged  in  the  blood  of  its 
own  citizens  ;  in  vain  pointed  to  the  gibbet — the  rebel's  doom. 
Calmly  viewing  the  chances  of  the  loss  of  all  things  and  the 
death  of  a  traitor,  he  realized  that  his  country  needed  the  sacri- 
fice and  he  cheerfully  made  it.  Through  all  this  darkness  and 
gloom  Hope  stood  beside  him  pointing  to  a  bright  future,  with 
his  country  free,  prosperous  and  happy. 

What  thoughts  must  have  crowded  on  the  mind  of  Jefferson 
as  he  penned  that  immortal  paper.  Firm  in  the  conviction  of 
the  righteousness  of  his  country's  cause,  he  went  earnestly  to 
work  with  his  pen,  guided,  as  it  were,  by  inspiration.  The  Dec- 
laration of  Independence  is  one  of  the  sublimest  political  docu- 
ments ever  written  since  the  beginning  of  the  world,  and  it 
alone  should  be  sufficient  to  stamp  his  name  with  immortality. 
The  draft  of  it,  as  submitted  by  Mr.  Jefferson  to  his  colleagues, 
was  reported  by  the  committee,  and  read  on  Friday,  the  SStli 
of  June,  and  after  voting  affirmatively  on  the  motion  of  Vir- 
ginia that  Congress  should  declare  the  colonies  free,  sovereign 
and  independent,  Congress  proceeded  to  a  consideration  of  the 
Declaration,  and  after  considerable  debate,  and  the  striking  out 
of  some  passages  and  the  alteration  of  others,  it  was  finally 
agreed  to  by  the  House,  and  signed  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth 
by  all  the  members  present ,  except  Mr.  Dickinson . 

The  life  of  Thomas  Jefferson  would  scarcely  seem  complete 
without  embracing  within  it  the  publication  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  We  therefore  present  it  as  originally 
reported  by  him,  together  with  the  alterations  of  Congress. 
The  parts  struck  out  by  Congress  are  printed  in  italics  and 


86 


LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


inclosed  in  brackets,  and  the  parts  added  are  placed  in  the 
margin,  or  in  a  concurrent  column  : 

A  Declaration  by  the  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America  in  [General]  Congress  assembled: 

When  in  the  course  of  human  events  it  becomes  neces- 
sary for  one  people  to  dissolve  the  political  bands  which 
have  connected  them  with  another,  and  to  assume  among 
the  powers  of  the  earth  the  separate  and  equal  station  to 
which  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  nature's  God  entitle  them, 
a  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of  mankind  requires  that 
they  should  declare  the  causes  which  impel  them  to  the 
separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident:  that  all  men  are 
created  equal;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator 
certain  with  [inherent  and]  inalienable  rights;  that  among 

these  are  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness;  that  to 
secure  these  rights,  governments  are  instituted  among 
men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the 
governed.  That  whenever  any  form  of  government  be- 
comes destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people 
to  alter  or  abolish  it,  and  to  imstitute  new  government, 
laying  it,  foundations  on  such  principles,  and  organizing 
its  powers  iu  such  form  as  to  them  shall  seem  mos"  likely 
to  effect  their  safety  and  happiness.  Prudence,  indeed, 
will  dictate  that  governments  long  established  should  not 
be  changed  for  light  and  transient  causes;  and  accord- 
ingly all  experience  hath  shown  that  mankind  are  more 
disposed  to  suffer  while  evils  are  sufferable  than  to  right 
themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  are 
accustomed.  But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses  and  usurpa- 
tions [begun  at  a  distinguished  period  and]  pursuing 
invariably  the  same  object,  evinces  a  design  to  reduce 
them  under  absolute  despotism,  it  is  their  right,  it  is  their 
duty  to  throw  off  such  government,  and  to  provide  new- 
guards  for  their  future  security.  Such  has  been  the  patient 
sufferance  of  these  colonies;  and  such  is  now  the  necessity 
which  constrains  them  to  [expunge^  their  former  systems 
of  government.  The  history  of  the  present  King  of  Great 
Britain  is  a  history  of  [unremitting]  injuries  and  usurpa- 
tions [among  which,  appears  no  solitary  fact  to  contradict 
the  uniform  tenor  of  th".  rest,  but  all  havt]  in  direct 
object  the  establishment  of  an  absolute  tyranny  over  these 
States.  To  prove  this  let  facts  be  submitted  to  a  candid 
world  [for  the  truth  of  which  we  pledge  a  faith  yet  un- 
sullied  by  falsehood], 


repeated 
all  having 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON.  87 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesoma 
and  necessary  for  the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  imme- 
diate and  pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their 
operation  till  his  assent  should  be  obtained,  and  when  so 
suspended  he  has  utterly  neglected  to  attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation 
of  large  districts  of  people,  unless  those  people  would 
relinquish  the  right  of  representation  in  the  Legislature, 
a  right  inestimable  to  them,  and  formidable  to  tyrants 
only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unu- 
sual, uncomfortable,  and  distant  from  the  depository  of 
their  public  records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fatiguing  them 
into  compliance  with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedly  land 
continually]  for  opposing  with  manly  firmness  his  invasions 
on  the  rights  of  the  people. 

He  has  refused  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolutions, 
to  cause  others  to  be  elected,  whereby  the  legislative 
powers,  incapable  of  annihilation,  have  returned  to  the 
people  at  large  for  their  exercise,  the  State  remaining,  in 
the  mean  time,  exposed  to  all  dangers  of  invasion  from 
without  and  convulsions  within. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of  these 
States;  for  that  purpose  obstructing  the  laws  for  naturali- 
zation of  foreigners,  refusing  to  pass  others  to  encourage 
their  migrations  hither,  and  raising  the  conditions  of  new 
appropriations  of  land. 

He  has  [suffered]  the  administration  of  justice  [totally       obstructed 
to  cease  in  some  of  these  States,]  refusing  his  assent  to  laws  by 

for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

He  has  made  [our]  judges  dependent  on  his  will  alone, 
for  the  tenure  of  their  offices,  and  the  amount  and  pay 
ment  of  their  salaries. 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  new  offices  [by  a  self- 
assumed  power],  and  sent  hither  swarms  of  new  officers  to 
harass  our  people,  and  eat  out  their  substance. 

He  has  kept  among  us  in  time  of  peace,  standing  armies 
[and  ships  of  war]  without  consent  of  our  legislators. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent  of, 
and  superior  to,  the  civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  others,  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdic- 
tion foreign  to  our  constitutions  and  unacknowledged  by 
our  laws,  giving  his  assent  to  their  acts  of  pretended 
legislation,  for  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops 
among  us;  for  protecting  them  by  a  mock  trial  from  pun> 


88  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


ishment  for  any  murders  which  they  should  commit  on 
the  inhabitants  of  tkese  States ;  for  cutting  off  our  trade 
with  all  parts  of  the  world;  for  imposing  taxes  on  us  with- 
in many  cases  out  our  consent;  for  depriving  us  [  j  of  the  benefits  of  trial 
by  jury ;  for  transporting  us  beyond  seas,  to  be  tried  for 
pretended  offenses;  for  abolishing  the  free  system  of  Eng- 
lish laws,  in  a  neighboring  province ;  establishing  therein 
an  arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging  its  boundaries,  so 
as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit  instrument  for 
colonies  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into  these  [States] ;  for 
taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable 
laws,  and  altering  fundamentally  the  forms  of  our  govern- 
ments ;  for  suspending  our  own  legislatures,  and  declaring 
themselves  invested  with  power  to  legislate  for  us,  in  all 
cases  whatsoever. 

by  declaring  us  He  has  abdicated  government  here  \_withdrawinfj  his 
t^n0*  nd8wr0t:riC  ff°vernors>  and  declaring  us  out  of  his  allegiance  and  pro- 
war  against  uf.  ttetion\. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burnt 
our  towns,  and  destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign 

mercenaries,  to  complete  the  works  of  death,  desolation 

and  tyranny,  already  begun  with  circumstances  of  cruelty 

scarcely  parallel-  an<l  perfidy,  [  ]  unworthy  the  head  of  a  civilized  nation.  • 

ed   in    the    most     He  has  constrained  our  fellow-citizens  taken  captive  on 

andbtotaVly  &geS' the  higb  seas>  to  bear  arms  a£ainst  their  country,  to  become 
the  executioners  of  their  friends  and  brethren,  or  to  fall 
themselves  by  their  hands. 

excited  domestic     He  has  [  ]  endeavored  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our 
i  usurrecti  ons  frontiers,  the  merciless  Indian  savages,  whose  known  rule 
among  us.and  has  of  warfare  is  an  undisguised  destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes 
and  conditions  [of  existence.] 

[He  has  incited  treasonable  insurrections  of  our  fellow- 
citizens,  with  the  allurements  of  forfeiture,  and  confisca- 
tion of  our  property. 

He  has  waged  cruel  war  against  human  nature  itself,  vio- 
lating its  most  sacred  rights  of  lifeand  liberty, in  thepersons 
of  a  distant  people,  who  never  offended  him,  captivating 
and  carrying  them  into  slavery  in  another  hemisphere,  or 
to  incur  miserable  death  in  their  transportation  thither. 
This  piratical  warfare,  the  opprobrium  of  infidel  powers,  is 
the  warfare  of  the  Christian  King  of  Great  Britain. 
Determined  to  keep  open  a  market,  where  men  should  be 
bought  and  sold,  he  has  prostituted  his  negative  for  sup- 
pressing every  legislative  attempt  to  prohibit  or  to  restrain 
this  execrable  commerce.  And  that  this  assemblage  of 
horrors  might  want  no  fact  of  distinguished  die,  he  is  now 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON. 


exciting  these  very  people  to  rise  in  arms  among  us,  and 
to  purchase  that  liberty  of  tohich  he  has  deprived  them, 
by  murdering  thepeople  on  whom  lie  also  obtruded  them; 
thus  paying  off  former  Crimea  committed  against  the 
liberties  of  one  people,  with  crimes  which  he  urges  them  to 
commit  against  the  lives  of  another.} 

In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions,  we  have  petitioned 
for  redress,  in  the  most  humble  terms;  our  repeated  peti- 
tions have  been  answered  only  by  repeated  injuries. 

A  prince  whosa  character  is  thus  marked  by  every  act 
which  may  define  a  tyrant,  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  ["  ]  free 

people  [who  mean  to  be  free.  Future  ages  will  scarcely 
believe,  that  the  hardiness  of  one  man  adventured,  within 
the  short  compass  oftwelveyears  only,  to  lay  a  foundation 
so  broad  and  so  undisguised  for  tyranny,  over  a  people 
fostered  and  fixed  in  principles  of  freedom.] 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  attentions  to  our  British 
brethren.  We  have  warnod  them  from  time  to  time  of 
attempts  by  their  legislature,  to  extend  [a]  jurisdiction  an  unwarrantable 
over  [these  our  States.]  We  have  reminded  them  of  the  us. 
circumstances  of  our  emigration  and  settlement  here  [no  one 
of  which  could  warrant  so  strange  a  pretension,  that  these 
were  effected  at  the  expense  of  our  own  blood  and  treasure, 
unassisted  by  the  wealth  or  the  strength  of  Great  Britain; 
that  in  constituting  indeed  our  several  forms  of  govern- 
ment, we  had  adopted  one  common  king,  thereby  laying  a 
foundation  for  perpetual  league  and  amity  with  them,  but 
that  submission  to  their  Parliament  was  no  part  of  our 
constitution,  nor  ever  in  idea,  if  history  may  be  credited, 
and]  we  [  ]  appealed  to  then*  native  justice  and  magna-  have 

nimity,  [as  well  as  to]  the  ties  of  our  common  kindred  to  and  we  have  con- 
disavow  these  usurpations  which  [were  likely  to]  interrupt  Jured  them  bv 
our  connection  and  correspondence.  They  too  have  been  would  inevitably 
deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and  of  consanguinity  [and  lohen 
occasions  have  been  given  them,  by  the  regular  course  of 
their  laws,  of  removing  from  their  councils  the  disturbers 
of  our  harmony,  they  have,  by  their  free  election,  re- 
established them  in  power.  At  this  very  time,  too,  they 
are  permitting  their  Chief  Magistrate  to  send  over  not 
only  soldiers  of  our  common  blood,  but  Scotch  and  foreign 
mercenaries,  to  invade  and  destroy  us.  These  facts  have 
given  the  last  stab  to  agonizing  affection,  and  manly  spirit 
bids  us  to  renounce  forever  these  unfeeling  brethren.  We 
must  endeavor  to  forget  our  former  love  for  them,  and 
hold  them  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind,  enemies  in  war, 
in  peace  friends.  We  might  have  been  a  free  and  a  great 
people  together,  but  a  communication  of  grandeur  and  of 


LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


We   must    there-  freedom,  it  seems,  is  below  their  dignity .     Be  it  so,  since 
fore  they  will  have  it.    The  road  to  happiness  and  to  glory  is 

open  to  us  too.     We  will  tread  it  apart  from  them,  and\ 
acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces  our  [eternal] 
and  hold  them  as  separation  [  ]  ! 
we  hold  the  rest 
of  mankind,  ene- 
mies  in  war,   in 
peace  friends. 


We  therefore,  the  representatives 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  in 
general  Congress  assembled,  do  in 
the  name,  and  by  the  authority  of 
the  good  people  of  these  [States  re- 
ject and  denounce  all  allegiance  and 
subjection  to  the  Kings  of  Great 
Britain,  and  all  others,  who  may 
hereafter  claim  by,  through,  or  under 
them;  we  utterly  dissolve  allpolitical 
connexion  which  may  heretofore  have 
subsisted  between  us  and  the  people 
or  Parliament  of  Great  Britain;  and 
finally  we  do  assert  and  declare  these 
colonies  to  be  free  and  independent 
States]  and  that  as  free  and  inde- 
pendent States  they  have  full  power 
to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  contract 
alliances,  establish  commerce,  and 
to  do  all  other  acts  and  things  which 
independent  States  may  of  right  do. 
And  for  the  support  of  this  declara- 
tion we  mutually  pledge  to  each  other 
our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred 
honor. 


We  therefore,  the  representatives 
of  the  United  States  of  America  in 
general  Congress  assembled,  appeal- 
ing to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the 
world  for  the  rectitude  of  our  inten- 
tions, do  in  the  name,  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  these 
colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  de- 
clare, that  these  united  colonies  are, 
and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  in- 
dependent States;  that  they  are  ab- 
solved from  all  allegiance  to  the 
British  Crown,  and  that  all  political 
connexion  between  them  and  the 
State  of  Great  Britain  is,  and  ought 
to  be,  totally  dissolved;  and  that,  as 
free  and  independent  States,  they 
have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude 
peace,  contract  alliances,  establish 
commerce,  and  to  do  all  other  acts 
and  things  which  independent  States 
may  of  right  do. 

And  for  the  support  of  this  decla- 
ration, with  a  firm  reliance  on  the 
protection  of  Divine  Providence,  we 
mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our 
lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred 
honor. 


Mr.  Jefferson,  as  an  active  member  of  the  second  Congress, 
was  appointed,  together  with  Dr.  Franklin  and  Silas  Deane,  a 
commissioner  to  the  Court  of  France,  to  negotiate  treaties  of 
alliance  and  commerce  with  that  nation.  This  important  posi- 
tion his  health  and  cares  of  a  private  nature  compelled  him  to 
decline.  Virginia  had,  during  the  year  1776,  notwithstanding 
her  active  co-operation  with  Congress,  also  been  engaged  in 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON. 


forming  a  State  Constitution  and  plan  of  government  for  her- 
self, and   Mr.  Jefferson,  teeing  that  our  national  affairs  were 


^gM^^^^ 

=^-^> — -37 — ik~*f^ 

* sFfr1^- /        ix     J^— • ^ 


FAC-SIMILE  OF  THE  SIGNATURES  TO  THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

under  the  guidance  of  bold  hearts  and  strong  hands,  and  think- 
ing that  his  native  State  was  in  need  of  his  services,  resigned 
his  seat  to  which  he  had  been  elected  in  the  third  Congress,  in 


92  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

September,  1776,  and  accepted  a  seat  in  the  State  Legislature  in 
the  following  month. 

At  an  early  period  in  this  session  Mr.  Jefferson  was  appointed, 
with  Edmund  Pendleton,  George  Mason,  Thomas  L.  Lee  and 
George  Wythe,  on  a  committee  to  revise  the  laws  of  the  State. 
This  work  being  divided  between  Mr.  Jefferson  and  two  other 
members,  they  reported  in  June,  1779,  a  code  of  laws  comprised 
in  the  compass  of  one  huudred  and  twenty-six  bills,  of  which  a 
few  were  passed  at  each  Legislature  until  the  last  of  them  was 
enacted  about  the  year  1785. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  because  Mr.  Jefferson  retired  from 
Congress  that  his  public  service  was  light.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  was  so  extensive  and  laborious  that  time  would  not  admit  of 
giving  an  adequate  idea  of  his  great  services  to  his  State.  Many 
persons  not  familiar  with  the  real  motives  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  have 
thought  him  an  innovator,  desirous  of  destroying  old  laws  and 
customs.  In  this  respect  he  was  guided  purely  by  a  desire  to 
adopt  everything  advantageous  to  the  existing  state  of  affairs 
and  the  more  practical  wants  of  human  nature.  He  did  not 
believe  in  carrying  a  bag  of  corn  to  mill  balanced  with  a  stone  in 
the  other  end  of  the  bag  because  his  fathers  had  done  so,  when 
half  the  corn  in  each  end  would  balance  it  with  less  weight 
and  more  good  sense,  and  whatever  changes  he  made  in  the 
laws  of  Virginia  were  of  the  most  beneficial  nature.  His  aim 
was  to  strike  out  from  our  laws  all  those  aristocratic  features, 
such  as  the  law  of  converting  estates  entail,  the  right  of  primo- 
geniture, and  all  such  feudal  and  unnatural  distinctions.  Mr. 
Jefferson's  ideas  were  to  adapt  our  laws  to  a  republican  form  of 
government.  He  also  stood  firm  for  establishing  the  freedom 
of  religious  opinion,  and  that  kind  of  an  innovator  was  most 
invaluable  to  his  State  and  the  entire  country. 

In  June,  1779,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  successor  to  Mr. 
Henry  as  Governor  of  Virginia,  a  situation  of  peculiar  difficulty 
to  one  so  entirely  unused  to  mili tary  matters ;  but  he  rose  equal 
to  the  emergency,  and  proved  his  excellent  capacity  in  pro- 
tecting the  State  from  the  attacks  on  the  seaboard  by  the  infa- 
mous traitor  Arnold,  and  by  Tarlton  and  Cornwallis  on  the 
southern  border. 


JEFFERSON.  93 

In  1781  he  proved  his  regard  for  the  welfare  of  his  State  by 
advising  that  a  military  man  should  become  Governor,  and  he 
was  succeeded  by  General  Nelson.  Just  at  this  time,  and  only 
two  days  after  his  retirement  from  the  office,  he  barely  escaped 
being  taken  prisoner  by  Tarlton,  who  had  been  dispatched  by 
Cornwallis  to  Charlottesville  to  capture  the  Governor  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Assembly,  but  they  were  notified  of  the  approach  in 
time  to  escape,  Mr.  Jefferson  actually  fleeing  from  Monticello 
on  his  horse  on  one  side  of  the  estate  as  the  enemy  dashed  up 
the  hill  on  the  opposite  side. 

After  Mr.  Jefferson's  retirement  from  office,  it  was  urged  by 
some  over-officious  members  of  the  Legislature  that  he  had  been 
negligent  in  adopting  measures  for  the  defense  of  the  seaboard 
at  the  time  of  Arnold's  descent  upon  Richmond,  and  they  moved 
for  an  investigation  of  his  conduct.  To  this  Mr.  Jefferson  will- 
ingly assented,  but  before  it  took  place  the  instigators,  convinced 
of  the  groundlessness  of  the  complaint,  declined  to  prosecute 
the  investigation. 

Soon  after  this  Mr.  Jefferson  found  time  to  assist  M.  de  Mar- 
bois,  Secretary  of  the  French  Legation,  in  obtaining  useful  sta- 
tistical information  concerning  the  American  States,  and  Mr. 
Jefferson,  in  answer  to  inquiries  concerning  Virginia,  replied  at 
great  length  in  a  most  interesting  statement  as  to  the  natural 
history,  the  soil,  productions,  institutions  and  statistics  of  his 
native  State.  This  work  was  afterward  published  by  him  under 
the  title  of  "Notes  on  Virginia." 

Mr.  Jefferson's  talents,  however,  were  of  too  high  an  order  at 
that  critical  time  in  our  history  to  be  spared  from  his  country's 
service,  and  in  1781  he  had  been  appointed  a  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary, together  with  Mr.  Adams,  Mr.  Jay,  Mr.  Laurens  and 
Dr.  Franklin,  for  negotiations  of  peace,  which  were  then  expected 
to  take  place.  His  health  preventing  his  acceptance  at  that 
time,  he  was  again  appointed  in  1782,  and  made  preparations  to 
go,  but  news  of  the  signing  of  preliminaries  of  peace  made  it 
unnecessary. 

In  1783  and  1784  Mr.  Jefferson  was  again  elected  to  Congress, 
and  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  Committee  upon  the  State 
of  the  Treasury,  and  also  of  the  committee  to  act  on  the  definite 


i)4  LIVES  OF  CUB  PRESIDENTS. 

treaty  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States. 
This  treaty  was  ratified  by  Congress  on  January  14,  1784. 
Congress  then,  in  the  same  year,  on  the  7th  of  May,  appointed 
Mr.  Jefferson,  together  with  Mr.  Adams  and  Dr.  Franklin,  who 
were  then  in  Europe,  a  Minister  Plenipotentiary  for  the  forma- 
tion of  treaties  of  commerce  with  foreign  nations,  and  in  the 
following  July  he  embarked  with  his  eldest  daughter  at  Boston, 
arriving  in  Paris  on  the  6th  of  August,  where  he  was  joined  by 
Mr.  Adams  and  Dr.  Franklin.  Both  this  and  subsequent  at- 
tempts of  the  commissioners  to  form  commercial  treaties  were 
discouragingly  unsuccessful,  owing  to  the  indifference  or  oppo- 
sition of  foreign  powers,  Prussia  and  Morocco  being  the  only 
powers  with  whom  treaties  were  secured.  In  1786  Mr.  Jefferson 
accompanied  Mr.  Adams  to  England,  in  hope  of  effecting  a 
treaty  of  commerce  with  that  country,  but  the  mission  being  a 
fruitless  one,  Mr.  Jefferson  returned  to  Paris,  after  an  absence 
of  seven  weeks. 

Mr.  Jefferson  resided  as  our  Minister  at  Paris  over  five  years, 
and  during  that  time  he  accomplished  much  as  the  representa- 
tive of  a  new  country  at  a  foreign  court,  although  his  diplomatic 
duties,  by  comparison  with  his  eventful  labors  during  our  strug- 
gle for  independence,  would  appear  dull  and  uninteresting.  But 
it  was  to  him  a  period  of  great  pleasure  in  his  life,  associated  as 
he  was  with  the  highest  circle  of  refinement  and  intelligence  in 
Paris.  Unlike  Mr.  Adams,  he  admired  the  French  people,  and 
in  time  was  a  favorite  of  theirs,  as  was  also  Dr.  Franklin,  to 
whom  they  looked  up  with  almost  veneration.  He  wrote  en- 
thusiastically in  his  letters  of  France,  and  the  warmth  and 
friendship  of  her  people,  and  of  their  hospitality,  politeness  of 
manners,  ease  of  conversation  and  eminence  in  science. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  his  love  for  France  and  its  society, 
America  still  held  the  high  and  lofty  place  in  his  heart,  and  he 
sighed  for  the  retirement  of  Monticello.  In  a  letter  to  the 
Baron  Geismer,  dated  at  Paris,  September  6,  1785,  he  says  : 

"  The  character  in  which  I  am  here  at  present  confines  me  to  this  place, 
and  will  confine  me  as  long  as  I  continue  in  Europe.  How  long  this  will  be  1 
cannot  tell.  I  am  now  of  an  age  which  does  not  easily  accommodate  itself 
to  new  manners  and  new  modes  of  living,  and  1  am  savage  enough  to  prefer 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON,  95 


the  woods,  the  wilds  and  the  independence  of  Monticello  to  all  the  brilliant 
pleasures  of  this  gay  capital.  I  shall,  therefore,  rejoin  myself  to  my  native 
country  with  new  attachments  and  with  exaggerated  esteem  for  its  advan- 
tages; for,  though  thei  e  is  less  wealth  there,  there  is  more  freedom,  more 
ease  and  less  misery." 

Mr.  Jefferson,  during  his  residence  in  Europe,  was  making 
interested  comparisons  between  the  general  condition  of  the 
French  people  and  that  of  his  own  countrymen.  His  sentiments 
and  the  result  of  his  observations  are  thus  expressed  in  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Bellini,  dated  Paris,  1785  : 

"  Behold  me  at  last  on  the  vaunted  scene  of  Europe  1  It  is  not  necessary  for 
your  information  that  I  should  enter  into  details  concerning  it.  But  you  are 
perhaps  curious  to  know  how  this  new  scene  has  struck  a  savage  of  the 
mountains  of  America.  Not  advantageously,  I  assure  you.  I  find  the  general 
fate  of  humanity  here  most  deplorable.  The  truth  of  Voltaire's  observations 
offers  itself  perpetually,  that  every  man  here  must  be  either  the  hammer  or 
the  anvil.  While  the  great  mass  of  the  people  are  thus  suffering  under  phys- 
ical and  moral  oppression,  I  have  endeavored  to  examine  more  nearly  the 
condition  of  the  great,  to  appreciate  the  true  value  of  the  circumstances  in 
their  situation,  which  dazzle  the  bulk  of  spectators,  and  especially,  to  com- 
pare it  with  that  degree  of  happiness  which  is  enjoyed  in  America  by  every 
class  of  people.  Intrigues  of  love  occupy  the  younger,  and  those  of  ambi- 
tion the  elder  part  of  the  great,  conjugal  love  having  no  existence  among 
them  ;  domestic  happiness,  of  which  that  is  the  basis,  is  utterly  unknown. 

"In  lieu  of  this  are  substituted  pursuits  which  nourish  and  invigorate  all 
our  bad  passions,  and  which  offer  only  moments  of  ecstacy  amidst  days  and 
months  of  restlessness  and  torment  ;  much,  very  much  inferior,  this,  to  the 
tranquil,  permanent  felicity,  with  which  domestic  society  in  America  blesses 
most  of  its  inhabitants,  leaving  them  to  follow  steadily  those  pursuits  which 
health  and  reason  approve,  and  rendering  truly  delicious  the  intervals  of 
these  pin-suits. 

"  In  science  the  mass  of  people  are  two  centuries  behind  ours  ;  their 
literati,  half  a  dozen  years  before  us.  With  respect  to  what  are  termed 
polite  manners,  without  sacrificing  to«  much  the  sincerity  of  language,  I 
would  wish  my  countrymen  to  adopt  just  so  much  of  European  politeness 
as  to  be  ready  to  make  all  those  little  sacrifices  of  self  which  really  render 
European  manners  amiable,  and  relieve  society  from  the  disagreeable 
scenes  to  which  rudeness  often  subjects  it.  Here  it  seems  a  man  might  pass 
a  life  without  encountering  a  single  rudeness.  In  the  pleasures  of  the  table 
they  are  far  before  us,  because  with  good  taste  they  unite  temperance.  They 
do  not  terminate  the  most  sociable  meals  by  transforming  themselves  into 
brutes ;  I  have  never  yet  seen  a  man  drunk  in  France ,  even  among  the  lowes' 
of  the  people.  Were  I  to  proceed  to  t,-ll  you  how  much  I  enjoy  their  archi- 
tecture, sculpture,  painting  and  music,  I  should  want  words.  It  is  in  these 


08  LIVES   OF 


acts  they  shine.  The  last  of  them  particularly  is  an  enjoyment  the  depriva- 
tion of  which  with  us  cannot  be  calculated.  I  am  almost  ready  to  say  it  is 
the  only  thing  which  from  my  heart  I  envy  them,  and  which,  in  spite  of  all 
the  authority  of  the  decalogue,  I  do  covet." 

In  another  letter  to  Mr.  Wythe,  dated  Paris,  August,  1786, 
when  speaking  of  the  revision  of  the  law  in  which  the  Assem- 
bly of  Virginia  had  been  engaged,  he  writes  : 

"  I  think  by  far  the  most  important  bill  in  our  whole  code,  is  that  for  the 
diffusion  of  knowledge  among  the  people.  No  other  foundation  can  be  de- 
vised for  the  preservation  of  freedom  and  happiness.  If  anybody  thinks 
that  kings,  nobles  or  priests  are  good  conservators  of  the  public  happiness, 
send  him  here.  It  is  the  best  school  in  the  universe  to  cure  him  of  that  folly. 
He  will  s>ee  here  with  his  own  eyes  that  these  descriptions  of  men  are 
an  abandoned  confederacy  against  the  happiness  of  the  mass  of  the  people. 
The  omnipotence  of  their  effect  cannot  be  better  proved  than  in  this  coun- 
try, particularly  where  notwithstanding  the  finest  soil  upon  earth,  the  finest 
climate  under  heaven,  and  a  people  of  the  most  benevolent,  the  most  gay 
and  amiable  character  of  which  the  human  form  is  susceptible  ;  where  such 
a  people,  I  say,  surroun  led  by  so  many  blessings  from  nature,  are  loaded 
wilh  misery  by  kings,  nobles  and  priests,  and  by  them  alone.  Preach,  my 
dear  sir,  a  crusade  against  ignorance ;  establish  and  improve  the  law  for 
educating  the  common  people.  Let  our  countrymen  know  that  the  people 
alone  can  protect  us  against  these  evils,  and  that  the  tax  which  will  be  paid 
for  this  purpose,  is  not  more  than  the  thousandth  part  of  what  will  be  paid 
t«  kings,  nobles  and  priests,  who  will  rise  up  among  us  if  we  leave  the 
people  in  ignoraace." 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  so  closely  confined  to  his  official  duties 
while  in  Paris  that  he  seldom  had  any  opportunity  for  visiting 
other  parts  of  the  continent.  He  passed  seven  weeks  in  London 
with  Mr.  Adams,  in  the  vain  hope  of  securing  a  commercial 
treaty.  He  also  went  to  the  Hague  at  a  later  period  to  meet 
Mr.  Adams  and  assist  in  negotiating  a  loan,  and  returned  along 
the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  and  in  1787,  while  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  a  dislocated  wrist,  he  took  the  opportunity  of  visiting 
the  southern  provinces  of  France  and  northern  part  of  Italy. 

In  October,  1789,  Mr.  Jefferson  having  obtained  from  the 
government  the  permission  he  had  long  solicited  to  return  home 
for  a  short  time,  embarked  at  Havre  for  the  United  States.  It 
was  not  at  that  time  his  intention  to  resign  his  position  as  Min- 
ister at  the  Court  of  Versailles.  His  long  residence  in  France 
had  made  for  him  many  ties  of  friendship.  The  spirit  of  free- 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON.  97 

dom  and  revolution  which  had  aroused  our  people  to  secure  for 
themselves  independent  nationality  was  also  spreading  among 
the  different  classes  of  France,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  watched  with 
the  deepest  interest  the  rapidly  approaching  contest  between 
the  people  and  the  throne,  and  the  struggle  between  liberty  and 
long-established  oppression  was  to  him  one  of  peculiar  solici- 
tude, desirous,  as  he  must  have  been,  to  see  the  rights  and 
principles  for  which  he  had  so  successfully  contended  in 
America  transplanted  and  flourishing  in  the  soil  of  Europe.  All 
these  things  conspired  to  confirm  his  intention  to  return  and 
resume  Ms  office  after  a  short  visit  to  his  native  country. 
He  arrived  at  Norfolk  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  where 
he  found  a  letter  awaiting  him  from  General  Washington, 
containing  an  appointment  to  the  Cabinet  as  Secretary 
of  State.  In  reply,  Mr.  Jefferson  stated  his  desire  to  re- 
turn to  France,  but  true  to  patriotic  sentiments,  he  assured  the 
President  that  he  would  willingly  remain  if  his  services  to  his 
country  were  counted  more  valuable  at  home  than  abroad.  In 
reply  to  this  President  Washington  sent  him  a  second  letter, 
expressing  his  desire  to  have  Mr.  Jefferson  accept  the  position, 
but  giving  him  his  choice  of  the  two  situations.  This  desire  of 
the  President's  induced  him  to  forego  his  own  preference  and 
accept  the  appointment.  To  Mr.  Jefferson's  agreeable  surprise 
he  found  that  during  his  long  absence  great  changes  had  taken 
place  in  the  United  States.  When  he  departed  five  years  before 
the  country  was  just  emerging  from  the  great  struggle  which 
had  secured  our  glorious  independence,  at  the  same  time 
that  it  had  impoverished  the  people,  and  the  imperfect  form  of 
government  existing  at  that  time  endangered  the  internal  peace 
of  the  country.  Now,  he  beheld  a  wonderful  transformation  ; 
the  country  was  happy,  prosperous  and  rapidly  increasing  in 
wealth  and  population.  The  Federal  Constitution  had  been 
adopted,  the  national  government  organized  under  its  wise  pro- 
visions, and  at  its  head  had  been  placed  the  he.ro  who  had  so 
successfully  led  her  armies  to  victory,  and  he  who  had  been 
"  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  coun- 
trymen," was  proving  himself  as  wise  in  counsel  as  he  had  been 
valorous  and  successful  in  war. 


98  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Mr.  Jefferson  entered  at  once  upon  the  duties  of  the  high  and 
important  position  to  which  he  had  been  appointed,  and  in 
accordance  with  his  fine  abilities  and  peculiar  fitness  for  the 
office  he  discharged  the  duties.  These  duties  were  of  an 
arduous  and  responsible  nature,  and  having  no  precedents  to 
govern  in  the  administration,  they  were  difficult  to  perform, 
embracing  the  superintendence  both  of  domestic  affairs  and 
foreign  relations.  For  the  duties  of  the  latter,  however,  Mr. 
Jefferson  was  eminently  qualified  by  his  former  diplomatic 
experience,  and  it  was  so  conducted  that  the  rights  and  inter- 
ests of  our  citizens  were  protected,  and  the  honor  and  dignity  of 
the  nation  supported  without  any  infringment  of  the  rights  of 
others ;  while  in  the  Home  Department  abundant  proof  of  his 
talents  and  industry  exists  to-day  in  the  numerous  reports  and 
state  papers  on  subjects  of  the  highest  importance,  which  from 
time  to  time  he  laid  before  Congress. 

It  was  but  natural  that  party  spirit  which  never  slumbers 
long  in  any  human  government,  and  perhaps  least  of  all  in  a 
republic,  should  have  risen  in  our  country,  and  Mr.  Jefferson, 
at  the  close  of  the  year  1793,  finding  himself  differing  in  views 
from  a  majority  of  the  administration,  to  which  he  was  officially 
attached,  and  these  views  every  day  widening  the  breach 
between  them,  he  honestly  considered  that  he  could  not  con- 
sistently act  with  them  in  the  measures  which  they  as  a 
majority  would  adopt,  and  therefore  he  retired  from  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  State.  At  this  time  the  whole  body  of  the 
people,  from  the  first  statesman  in  the  cabinet  down  to  the 
merest  village  alehouse  politician,  were  ranged  under  the  banners 
of  one  or  the  other  of  the  contending  parties.  To  that  one  of 
these  parties  known  by  the  name  of  Democratic,  Mr.  Jefferson 
found  himself  drawn  by  the  whole  course  of  his  previous  habits 
and  opinions.  The  other  members  of  the  cabinet,  however, 
were  attached  to  the  other  party,  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  therefore, 
felt  himself  called  upon  to  withdraw,  and  in  withdrawing  he 
for  a  time  retired  from  public  life  and  devoted  himself  to  the 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  his  estate  and  followed  those 
literary  and  scientific  pursuits  which  were  most  congenial  to 
his  tastes.  It  was  during  this  time,  for  a  few  years  at  Monticello, 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON.  99 

surrounded  by  his  family,  that  he  doubtless  enjoyed  the  greatest 
domestic  happiness  and  quiet  of  any  period  of  his  life.  About 
the  time  of  his  retirement  he  was  chosen  President  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  as  successor  to  Rittenhouse, 
and  for  the  long  period  he  filled  the  chair  was  active 
in  promoting  in  every  way  in  his  power  the  prosperity  of  the 
institution.  But  it  was  not  in  the  nature  of  things  that  so 
prominent  and  talented  a  citizen  and  so  eminent  a  statesman  as 
Mr.  Jefferson  should  be  allowed  to  remain  in  private  life.  The 
Farewell  Address  of  General  Washington  in  1796  conveyed  to 
the  people,  whose  affections  he  so  firmly  held,  the  information 
of  his  determination  to  retire  to  private  life.  This  at  once 
afforded  the  two  parties,  in  which  the  people  had  arrayed  them- 
selves, an  opportunity  to  bring  their  candidates  in  the  field. 
Mr.  Adams  was  nominated  by  one  and  Mr.  Jefferson  by  the 
other,  and  at  the  election,  which  took  place  in  the  fall,  after 
the  first  heated  national  campaign  in  our  history,  Mr. 
Adams  was  chosen  President  and  Mr.  Jefferson  Vice- 
President  for  the  term  of  four  years.  The  duties  of  the 
Vice-President  being  merely  to  preside  over  the  Senate, 
save  in  case  of  the  death  of  the  President,  Mr.  Jefferson  had 
the  opportunity  of  spending  much  of  his  time  at  Monticello. 
His  party,  however,  was  growing  stronger  during  the  four 
yearp,  and  in  1801,  having  again  been  nominated  as  a  candidate 
in  opposition  to  Mr.  Adams,  he  received  a  majority  of  the  votes 
of  the  people.  But  as  the  number  of  votes  given  for  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son and  for  Mr.  Burr,  who  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for 
Vice-President,  were  equal,  and  the  Constitution,  through 
lack  of  suitable  amendment,  did  not  require  that  the  votes 
should  specify  the  office  to  which  each  was  respectively  elected, 
and  neither  having  a  majority,  which  was  necessary  to  a 
choice,  the  election  devolved  upon  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. Here  the  opponents  of  Mr.  Jefferson  cast  their  votes  for 
Mr.  Burr,  and  it  was  not  till  after  thirty-five  unsuccessful 
ballots  that  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  President  and  Mr.  Burr 
selected  as  Vice-President. 

On  March  4,  1801,  Mr.  Jefferson  took  the  oath  of  office  and  de- 
livered his  inaugural  address,  from  which  we  take  the  following ; 


100  LIVES  OF  OUR   PRESIDENTS. 


"  Let  us  then,  fellow  citizens,  unite  with  one  heart  and  one  mind;  let  us  re- 
store to  social  intercourse  that  harmony  and  affection  without  which  liberty 
and  even  life  itself  are  but  dreary  things.  And  let  us  reflect  that  having  ban- 
ished from  our  land  that  religious  intolerance  under  which  mankind  so  long 
bled  and  suffered,  we  have  yet  gained  little  if  we  countenance  a  political  intoler- 
ance as  despotic,  as  wicked,  and  capable  of  as  bitter  and  bloody  persecutions. 
During  the  throes  and  convulsions  of  the  ancient  world,  during  the  agoniz- 
ing spasms  of  infuriated  man  seeking  through  blood  and  slaughter  his  long- 
lost  liberty,  it  was  not  wonderful  that  the  agitation  of  the  billows  should 
reach  even  this  distant  and  peaceful  shore;  that  this  should  be  more  felt  and 
feared  by  some  and  less  by  others,  and  should  divide  opinions  as  to  meas- 
ures of  safety,  but  every  difference  of  opinion  is  not  a  difference  of  principle. 
We  have  called  by  different  names  brethren  of  the  same  principle.  We  are 
all  republicans;  we  are  all  federalists.  If  there  be  any  among  us  who  would 
wish  to  dissolve  this  union,  or  to  change  its  republican  form,  let  them  stand 
undisturbed  as  monuments  of  the  safety  with  which  error  of  opinion  may  be 
tolerated,  where  reason  is  left  free  to  combat  it.  I  know,  indeed,  that  some 
honest  men  fear  that  a  republican  government  can  not  be  strong,  that  this 
government  is  not  strong  enough.  But  would  the  honest  patriot  in  the  full 
tide  of  successful  experiment  abandon  a  government  which  has  so  far  kept  us 
free  and  firm,  on  the  theoretic  and  visionary  fear  that  this  government,  the 
world's  best  hope,  may,  by  possibility,  want  energy  to  preserve  itself  ?  I  trust 
not.  I  believe  this,  on  the  contrary,  the  strongest  government  on  earth.  I 
believe  it  the  only  one  where  every  man,  at  the  call  of  the  law,  would  fly  to 
the  standard  of  the  law,  and  would  meet  invasions  of  the  public  order  as  his 
own  personal  concern.  Sometimes  it  is  said  that  man  cannot  be  trusted  with 
the  government  of  himself.  Can  he  then  be  trusted  with  the  government  of 
others  ?  Or  have  we  found  angels  in  the  form  of  kings  to  govern  him  f  Let 
history  answer  this  question." 

He  then  proceeds  to  give  in  the  following  summary  manner 
a  brief  statement  of  the  principles  which  were  to  be  the  rule 
of  his  administration  : 

"  About  to  enter,  fellow -citizsns,  on  the  exercise  of  duties  which  compre- 
hend every  thing  dear  and  valuable  to  you,  it  is  proper  you  should  under- 
stand what  I  deem  the  essential  principles  of  our  government,  and 
consequently  those  which  ought  to  shape  its  administration.  I  will  com- 
press the_n  within  the  narrowest  compass  they  will  bear,  stating  the  general 
principle,  but  not  all  its  limitations.  Equal  and  exact  justice  to  all  men  of 
whatever  state  or  persuasion,  religious  or  political  ;  peace,  commerce  and 
honest  friendship  with  all  nations,  entangling  alliances  with  none;  the  sup- 
port of  the  State  governments  in  all  their  rights,  as  the  most  competent 
administrations  for  our  domestic  concerns,  and  the  surest  bulwarks  against 
anti-republican  tendencies  ;  the  preservation  of  the  general  government  in 
its  whole  constitutional  vigor,  as  the  sheet  anchor  of  our  peace  at  home 
and  safety  abroad;  a  jealous  care  of  the  rights  of  election  by  the 


tHOMAS   JEFFERSON.  101 

people,  a  mild  and  safe  corrective  of  abuses  which  are  lopped  by  the  sword 
of  revolution,  where  peaceable  remedies  are  unprovided  ;  absolute  acqui- 
escence in  the  decisions  of  the  majority,  the  vital  principle  of  republics 
from  which  is  no  appeal  but  to  force,  the  vital  principle  and  immediate 
parent  of  despotism;  a  well-disciplined  militia  our  best  reliance  in  peace 
and  for  the  first  moments  of  war  till  regulars  may  iclieve  them  ;  the 
supremacy  of  the  civil  over  the  military  authority  ;  economy  in  the  public 
expense,  that  labor  may  be  lightly  burdened ;  the  honest  payment  of  our 
debts  and  sacred  preservation  of  the  public  faitli ;  encouragement  of  agri- 
culture and  of  commerce  as  its  handmaid  ;  the  diffusion  of  information  and 
arraignment  of  all  abuses  at  the  bar  of  the  public  reason  ;  freedom  of  re- 
ligion, freedom  of  the  press,  and  freedom  of  person  under  the  protection 
of  the  habeas  corpus  and  trials  by  juries  impartially  selected.  These  prin- 
ciples form  the  bright  constellation  which  has  gone  before  us,  and  guided 
our  steps  through  an  age  of  revolution  and  reformation.  The  wisdom  of  our 
sages  and  blood  of  our  heroes  have  been  devoted  to  their  attainment,  they 
should  be  the  creed  of  our  political  faith,  the  text  of  civic  instruction,  the 
touchstone  by  which  to  try  the  services  of  those  we  trust ;  and  should  we 
wander  from  them  in  moments  of  error  or  of  alarm,  let  us  hasten  to  retrace 
our  steps  and  to  regain  the  road  which  alone  leads  to  peace,  liberty  and 
safety." 

From  the  election  of  Mr.  Adams  dates  the  first  ascendancy 
into  power  of  the  Democratic  party  in  the  national  councils  of 
the  country,  and  the  acts  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  administration 
were  so  far  approved  that  at  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  in 
1805  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Chief  Magistracy  by  a  large 
majority,  notwithstanding  all  the  exertions  of  the  Federal 
party.  Mr.  Jefferson  was  undoubtedly  a  wise  man,  although  in 
the  excitement  of  partisanship  his  opponents  believed  many  of 
his  acts  injurious  to  the  welfare  of  the  country.  His  purchase 
of  Louisiana  and  the  annexation  of  that  fertile  country  to  the 
United  States,  thereby  securing  the  undisputed  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi,  was  of  the  most  incalculable  benefit  to  the 
country.  On  the  other  hand,  the  embargo  of  1807  was  most 
warmly  supported  by  his  friends  and  most  violently  opposed  by 
his  enemies.  This  was  necessitated  by  the  continued  and  un- 
warranted aggressions  of  the  two  great  belligerent  powers  of 
Europe,  England  and  France,  upon  the  neutral  commerce  of 
the  country  after  negotiation  and  remonstrance  had  been  tried 
in  vain,  and  it  was  evident  that  stronger  measures  for  our  pro- 
tection were  necessary,  and  President  Jefferson  called  the  atten- 


102  LIVES   OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

tion  of  Congress,  in  December,  1805,  to  the  many  aggressions 
and  injuries  by  the  impressment  of  our  seamen  and  numerous 
depredations  on  our  coast,  alluding  to  this  grave  subject  in  the 
following  terms : 

"  Our  coasts  have  been  infested  and  our  harbors  watched  by  private 
armed  vessels,  some  of  them  without  commissions,  some  with  illegal  com- 
missions, others  with  those  of  legal  form,  but  committing  piratical  acts 
beyond  the  authority  of  their  commissions.  They  have  captured  in  the 
very  entrance  of  our  harbors,  as  well  as  on  the  high  seas,  not  only  the 
vessels  of  our  friends  coming  to  trade  with  us,  but  our  own  also.  They  have 
carried  them  off  under  pretence  of  adjudication,  but  not  daring  to  approach 
a  court  of  justice,  they  have  plundered  and  sunk  them  by  the  way,  or  in 
obscure  places  where  no  evidence  could  arise  against  them,  ir.altreated  the 
crews  and  abandoned  them  in  boats  in  the  open  sea  or  on  desert  shores 
without  food  or  covering.  The  same  system  of  hovering  on  our  coasts  and 
harbors  under  color  of  seeking  enemies  has  also  been  carried  on  by  public 
armed  ships  to  the  great  annoyance  and  oppression  of  our  commerce.  New 
principles  too  have  been  interpolated  into  the  law  of  nations,  founded 
neither  in  justice  nor  the  usage  or  acknowledgment  of  nations.  Accoid- 
ing  to  these  a  belligerent  takes  to  itself  a  commerce  with  its  own  enemy 
which  it  denies  to  a  neutral  on  the  ground  of  its  aiding  that  enemy  in  the 
war.  But  reason  revolts  at  such  an  inconsistency;  and  the  neutral  having 
equal  rights  with  the  belligerents  to  decide  the  question,  the  interests  of 
our  constituents  and  the  duty  of  maintaining  the  authority  of  reason,  the 
only  umpire  between  just  nations,  impose  on  us  the  obligation  of  providing 
an  effectual  and  determined  opposition  to  a  doctrine  so  injurious  to  tbe 
rights  of  peaceable  nations." 

These  suggestions  by  the  Executive  stirred  Congress  to  make 
preparations  for  the  defense  of  our  coast  in  case  of  a  war,  and 
the  non-importation  act  passed  in  1806,  and  commissioners  were 
also  appointed  to  adjust  the  existing  difficulties  and  prevent  the 
recurrence  of  the  causes. 

During  the  pending  of  those  negotiations  the  outrage  by  the 
British  frigate  Leopard  upon  the  frigate  Chesapeake  in  our  very 
waters  caused  the  President  to  issue  a  proclamation  on  the  3d 
of  July,  1807,  requiring  all  British  armed  vessels  then  within 
the  waters  of  the  United  States  to  depart,  and  forbidding  them 
to  enter.  A  disavowal  and  offers  of  reparation  for  the  injury 
and  insult  to  the  Chesapeake  was  made,  but  almost  immediately 
the  British  Orders  in  Council  appeared,  by  which  the  British 
Government  prohibited  all  commerce  between  the  United  States 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON.  103 

and  the  ports  of  British  foes  in  Europe,  unless  the  articles  had 
been  first  landed  in  England,  and  the  duties  paid  for  their  re- 
exportation. This  called  for  decided  measures  at  once  on  the 
part  of  our  Government,  but  Mr.  Jefferson  believed  that  our 
country  was  not  then  in  a  situation  to  hazard  a  war,  and  that 
the  only  means  left  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  our  commerce 
was  to  keep  them  in  port  and  deprive  the  belligerents  of  the 
benefits  of  our  commerce.  In  execution  of  this  policy  Congress 
passed  an  act  on  December  22,  1807,  laying  an  embargo  on  our 
vessels  and  prohibiting  their  departure  from  any  port  of  the 
United  States. 

Mr.  Jefferson's  second  administration  was  also  disturbed  by 
an  unexpected  domestic  difficulty,  which  was  no  less  than 
the  infamous  conspiracy  of  Aaron  Burr.  Rendered  sullen  and 
vicious  by  his  defeat  for  the  Vice-Presidency,  and  moved  and 
actuated  by  an  unprincipled  ambition,  this  man,  under  the  pre- 
text of  forming  a  military  expedition  against  the  Spanish  ter- 
ritories on  our  southwestern  border,  organized  a  body  of  armed 
men  for  the  purpose,  as  generally  supposed,  of  bringing  about 
a  separation  of  the  States  west  of  the  Alleghenies  from  the 
general  government,  to  form  them  into  an  independent  State. 
The  government  being  apprised  that  bodies  of  men  were  organ- 
izing and  arming  ostensibly  for  making  war  upon  a  power 
with  whom  we  were  at  peace,  Congress  at  once  took  steps  to 
seize  their  arms  and  stores  and  arrest  the  ringleaders.  On  the 
discovery  of  the  plan  Burr  fled,  but  was  soon  captured  and 
taken  to  Eichmond,  Virginia,  under  arrest,  where  he  was  tried 
for  a  high  misdemeanor,  and  also  on  a  charge  of  treason,  but 
unfortunately,  for  want  of  evidence,  was  aquitted. 

In  1809,  Mr.  Jefferson's  second  term  of  office  having  expired, 
he  determined  upon  retiring  forever  from  political  life.  For 
nearly  forty  years  he  had  devoted  his  energies  to  the  service 
of  his  country,  and  he  felt  that  natural  desire  for  rest  and 
retirement  to  the  shades  of  domestic  life  which  declining  years 
require.  With  this  earnest  wish  for  the  sweet  peace  of  Monti- 
cello,  he  departed  for  his  home  in  March,  1809,  and  from  that 
time  took  no  further  part  in  politics,  passing  his  declining  years 
overlooking  the  cultivation  of  his  estate,  devoting  hours  to 


104  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

study  and  extending  a  gracious  hospitality  to  his  friends.  He 
also  became  much  interested  in  the  establishment  of  a  system  of 
general  education  in  Virginia,  and  in  the  superintendence  of  the 
new  university  of  that  State,  which  he  labored  to  found  in  1818. 
This  institution  was  located  at  Charlottesville,  in  which  town 
the  estate  of  Monticello  was  situated,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  was 
chosen  director  at  its  foundation,  in  which  office  he  continued 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  last  years  of  his  life  were  disturbed  by  financial  embar- 
rassment, which  necessitated  the  disposal  of  his  estate  at  Monti- 
cello,  to  prevent  its  being  sacrificed  and  in  order  to  raise  money 
to  pay  his  debts,  which  will  forever  remain  as  an  evidence  of 
the  most  eminent  public  services  being  repaid  by  indifference 
to  the  comfort  of  his  declining  years.  But  the  day  was  fast  ap- 
proaching when  his  earthly  wants  were  to  cease. 

That  day  was  ushered  in  with  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1826.  Great 
preparations  were  being  made  to  celebrate  it  as  the  completion 
of  the  half  century  of  our  free  national  existence,  and  the 
citizens  of  Washington,  to  add  to  the  great  occasion,  invited 
Mr.  Jefferson,  as  one  of  the  few  surviving  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion, to  participate  in  the  celebration.  A  serious  and  increas- 
ing illness  prevented  him  from  accepting  the  invitation,  and 
his  reply,  on  the  24th  of  June,  gave  evidence  that  although  his 
earthly  frame  was  fast  perishing,  his  mind  was  still  animated 
with  the  same  ardent  love  of  liberty.  Regretting  his  inability 
to  be  present,  he  expressed  how  greatly  he  should  have  delighted 
in  meeting  and  exchanging  congratulations  with  the  small 
band,  that  remnant  of  the  host  of  worthies  who  joined  with 
him  on  that  doubtful  day,  and  decided  for  their  country  be- 
tween submission  and  the  sword,  and  to  have  enjoyed  with 
them  the  consolation  that  after  a  half  century  of  experience 
and  prosperity  their  fellow-citizens  were  glorifying  the  anni- 
versary as  a  sacred  day  in  our  national  existence. 

The  letter  was  full  of  the  noblest  sentiment,  such  as  had  ever 
emanated  from  his  pen,  and  it  had  scarcely  been  written  before 
\us  illness  had  rapidly  increased,  and  on  the  26th  he  was 
obliged  to  confine  himself  to  his  bed.  On  the  '2d  of  July  his 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON. 


105 


condition  was  such,  that  his  physicians  entertained  no  hope  of 
his  recovery,  and  he  also  was  sensible  that  his  last  hour  had 
come,  and  with  the. most  perfect  calmness  he  conversed  with 
his  family  and  gave  directions  concerning  his  funeral,  being 
desirous  that  his  last  resting-place  on  earth  should  be  Monticello. 


TOMB  OF  JEFFERSON. 

Gradually  he  was  sinking,  and  on  Monday  he  inquired  the  day 
of  the  month.  Being  told  that  it  was  the  3d  of  July,  he 
expressed  the  earnest  wish  that  he  might  live  to  see  the  day  of 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  ushered  in.  His  prayer  was  heard ;  that 
day  whose  dawn  was  hailed  with  such  rapture  throughout  our 
land  burst  upon  his  eyes,  and  then  they  were  closed  forever. 
And  what  a  noble  consummation  of  a  noble  life  !  To  die  on 


106  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

that  day,  the  birthday  of  a  nation,  the  day  which  his  own  name 
and  his  own  act  had  rendered  glorious  ;  to  die  amid  the  rejoic- 
ings and  festivities  of  a  whole  nation  who  looked  up  to  him  as 
the  author,  under  God,  of  their  greatest  blessings,  was  all  that 
was  wanted  to  fill  up  the  record  of  his  life.  Fifty  summers 
had  rolled  over  his  head  since  the  day  when  the  Congress  of 
1776  declared  America  independent,  and  on  that  day,  amid  the 
acclamations  of  twelve  millions  of  freemen,  in  the  hour  within 
which  fif  ey  years  before  he  had  signed  the  Magna  Charta  of 
American  freedom,  his  spirit  was  freed  from  the  bondage  of 
earth,  and  almost  at  the  same  hour  the  kindred  spirit  of  the 
memorable  Adams,  as  if  to  bear  him  company,  left  the  scene  of 
his  earthly  honors. 

Mr.  Jefferson  had  attained  a  venerable  old  age  at  his  death, 
being  eighty-three  years  and  some  months.  It  will  here  be  of 
interest  to  give  some  particulars  as  to  his  family.  In  January, 
1772,  he  married  Mrs.  Martha  Skelton,  widow  of  Bathurst 
Skelton,  and  daughter  of  John  Wayles,  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
the  colonial  times.  This  union  was  not  of  long  duration,  as  she 
died  in  1782,  leaving  three  daughters,  one  of  whom  died  young ; 
the  others  were  married,  one  to  Thomas  M.  Randolph,  after- 
ward Governor  of  Virginia,  the  other  to  Mr.  Eppes. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  tall,  being  over  sir.  faet  in  height,  and  thin 
but  well  formed.  His  eyes  were  light,  and  his  hair,  which  was 
red  in  early  life,  became  silvery  white  in  old  age.  He  was  fair 
in  complexion,  with  broad  forehead,  and  his  whole  counte- 
nance beamed  with  intelligence  and  though tfuloess.  In  him 
the  elements  of  self-control  were  great.  Possessing  great  forti- 
tude, as  well  as  personal  courage,  his  command  of  temper  was 
such  that  his  most  intimate  friends  had  never  seen  him  in  a 
passion.  He  was  also  possessed  of  simplicity  of  manners, 
although  coupled  with  easy  dignity.  He  was  fluent  and 
eloquent  in  conversation,  and  remarkably  precise  and  correct 
in  his  language.  As  a  classical  scholar  his  writings  were  after 
the  best  models  of  antiquity,  and  he  never  endeavored  to  con- 
vince by  the  mere  force  of  argument.  Several  of  his  works 
have  been  previously  mentioned,  but  they  are  altogether  so 
numerous,  including  state  papers,  etc.,  that  the  archives  of 


THOMAS   JEFFERSON.  107 

the  government  alone  can  give  the  reader  a  definite  knowledge 
of  them. 

In  reference  to  the  religious  opinions  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  which 
naturally  were  the  subject  of  political  prejudice,  we  could  not 
perhaps  speak  in  particular  terms  of  approbation  should  we 
enter  upon  a  full  consideration  of  them.  As  a  mere  moralist 
he  must  ever  be  esteemed  for  opinions  and  doctrines  which 
would  have  done  honor  to  the  purest  sages  of  Greece  and  Rome, 
and  which  certainly  far  surpassed  the  theory  and  practice  of 
his  masters  in  religion,  the  skeptics  of  the  French  school. 

Mr.  Jefferson's  whole  life  was  so  nearly  passed  before  the 
public  that  his  actions  speak  his  character  better  than  words 
can  express  them,  and  whatever  his  faults  may  have  been,  if 
he  had  them,  he  will  be  cherished  and  held  in  grateful  memory 
as  one  of  the  bold  and  fearless  patriots  of  the  Re  volution  and  as 
the  f  ramer  and  a  signer  of  the  immortal  Declaration  of  American 
Independence.  If  public  sentiment  may  be  divided  concerning 
tho  wisdom  and  expediency  of  his  measures  while  he  occupied 
the  Presidential  chair,  there  can  be  no  divided  sentiment  in  the 
minds  of  his  grateful  countrymen  when  they  consider  him  as 
one  of  the  Congress  of  1776,  as  one  of  the  firmest  opposers  of 
British  aggressions,  as  one  of  the  most  able  statesmen  of  the 
Revolution.  In  all  these  things  his  conduct  has  been  stamped 
by  the  approbation  of  a  whole  nation,  and  a  judgment  rendered 
that  no  future  age  will  ever  reverse. 


JAMES    MADISON. 


After  reading  the  biographies  of  three  such  men  as  "Washing- 
ton, Adams  and  Jefferson,  the  lives  of  other  eminent  men  of 
our  country  may  not  appear  as  brilliant  by  comparison  ;  but  it 
is  evident  that  James  Madison  was  also  one  of  the  conspicuous 
heroes  of  our  early  history,  filling  the  sphere  of  his  duties 
with  honor,  patriotism  and  devotion,  and  leaving  behind  him  a 
memory  cherished  by  his  countrymen. 

Of  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Madison  very  .few  incidents  have 
been  preserved.  He  was  born  in  the  year  1750  at  Montpelier, 
"Va.,  and  at  an  early  period  in  his  life  devoted  his  interest  and 
labors  to  the  cause  of  our  infant  republic.  In  reference  to 
his  private  life,  he  was  married,  in  1794,  to  Mrs.  Todd,  in  Phila- 
delphia, who  was  the  widow  of  a  prominent  lawyer  at  the  Phil- 
adelphia bar.  Her  father  was  a  Quaker  named  Paine,  who  had 
emigrated  from  Virginia  to  Philadelphia.  Being  left  a  widow 
at  the  early  age  of  twenty-one  years,  she  was  quite  young  when 
she  became  Mrs.  Madison,  and,  being  of  agreeable  manners 
and  fascinating  in  conversation,  she  became  popular  in  the 
circle  of  her  associates  and  filled  the  high  position  to  which 
she  was  called  as  the  wife  of  the  President  with  dignified  affa- 
bility, striving  to  soften  the  political  asperities  of  the  time  by 
the  amenities  of  social  life. 

At  an  early  age  Mr.  Madison  became  prominent  as  an  active 
member  of  the  Continental  Congress.  To  him,  more  than  to 
any  other,  the  people  of  the  United  States  are  indebted  for 
our  national  Constitution.  As  the  leader  in  the  convention 
that  framed  the  Federal  Constitution,  he  was  its  moet  influen- 
tial supporter  in  the  Virginia  Convention,  which  adopted  it. 
He  was  the  author  of  the  Virginia  Resolution  of  1798  and  the 
Virginia  Report  of  1799,  and  for  sixteen  years  was  charged 


110  I,IVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

with  the  administrai  ion  of  the  government,  as  the  incumbent 
successively  of  the  second  and  first  offices  m  the  executive. 

Mr.  Madison,  among  other  eminent  statesman,  recognized 
the  weakness  of  our  confederated  form  of  government  and  the 
inability  of  Congress  to  regulate  commerce  for  the  States, 
form  treaties  or  raise  funds,  and  he  made  a  proposition  for  a 
convention  of  delegates,  which  resulted  in  a  meeting  at  An- 
napolis representing  five  States,  where  it  was  fully  realized 
that  a  federal  government  and  constitution  were  necessary  for 
all  international  relations,  as  well  as  for  better  management 
of  affairs  at  home.  But  the  jealousy  of  certain  States  occasioned 
much  opposition  and  delay  in  the  desirable  reform  in  our  imper- 
fect system  of  government.  At  length,  however,  the  majority 
of  the  State  Legislatures  were  brought  to  coincide  in  the  views  of 
the  federal  statesmen,  and  these  so  influenced  the  others  that  all 
but  Rhode  Island  sent  delegates  to  Philadelphia  in  1787,  at 
which  convention  Washington  was  chosen  President.  The 
convention  deliberated  with  closed  doors,  until  at  length  on 
the  17th  of  September  the  proposed  constitution  was  made 
public,  and  after  presentation  to  Congress  was  submitted  to  the 
several  States  for  their  acceptance.  No  sooner  had  it  appeared 
than  between  Federalists  and  Democrats  and  individual  opinion 
it  was  attacked  with  a  host  of  objections.  These  discussions 
occupied  the  year  1788,  after  which  the  Constitution  was 
generally  accepted  and  the  grand  point  of  a  federal  union 
achieved. 

The  month  of  March,  1789,  was  the  time  appointed  for  the 
commencement  of  the  new  government,  and  as  soon  as  Con- 
gress met  the  first  step  was  to  elect  a  President,  for  which 
office  George  Washington  was  unanimously  chosen,  the  cere- 
mony of  his  inauguration  taking  place  on  the  30th  of  April. 

As  soon  as  the  federal  government  was  in  operation  Congress 
proceeded  at  once  to  consider  the  most  important  subject,  the 
revenue.  In  reference  to  this  Mr.  Madison  proposed  a  tax  on 
imported  goods  and  tonnage.  Some  objected  to  the  tonnage 
duty  on  the  groiind  that  as  we  had  but  few  ships  of  our  own, 
the  duty  might  drive  off  those  we  would  need.  But  Mr.  Madison 
pointed  out  the  necessity  of  fostering  the  infant  navy  of  the 


JAMES  MADISON.  Ill 

country  as  the  only  defensive  force  that  would  be  available  in  a 
future  war.  This  argument  overcame  the  objection.  After 
Congress  had  provided  for  the  revenue  and  the  just  debts  of  the 
States,  the  departments  of  the  Treasury,  of  War  and  of  State 
were  formed,  and  the  appointments  to  those  departments  were 
made,  Mr.  Madison's  being  the  only  name  of  eminence  omitted 
in  the  arrangement. 

When  Congress  assembled  in  1793  the  British  Government  had 
declared  France  to  be  in  a  state  of  blockade  by  issuing  orders  to 
stop  all  neutral  ships  laden  with  provisions  bound  to  her  ports. 
In  reference  to  this  state  of  affairs,  Mr.  Madison  early  in 
January,  1794,  submitted  to  the  House  his  commercial  resolu- 
tions for  further  restrictions  and  higher  duties  in  certain  cases 
on  the  manufactures  and  navigation  of  foreign  nations.  The 
last  of  these  resolutions  declared  that  provision  ought  to  be 
made  for  ascertaining  the* losses  sustained  by  American  citizens, 
from  the  operation  of  particular  regulations  of  any  country  con- 
travening the  law  of  nations;  and  that  these  losses  be  reim- 
bursed, in  the  first  instance,  out  of  the  additional  duties  on  the 
manufactures  and  vessels  of  nations  establishing  such  regula- 
tions. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1809,  Mr.  Madison,  who  had  been  Sec- 
retary of  State  under  the  preceding  administration,  was  inau- 
gurated President  of  the  United  States.  Upon  this  occasion, 
in  accordance  with  the  example  of  his  predecessors,  he  deliv- 
ered a  most  able  inaugural  address,  bearing  iipon  our  national 
condition  and  our  domestic  and  international  relations. 

At  this  time  the  situation  of  our  affairs  was  in  many  respects 
gloomy.  France  and  England  were  still  at  war  and  were 
directing  against  each  other  commercial  edicts  which  were 
seriously  affecting  our  trade  and  commerce. 

A  new  administration  generally  commences  with  fair  prom- 
ises on  one  side  and  hopes  on  the  other,  of  a  change,  and  the 
English  Minister  hoped  that  with  the  change  of  administration 
and  the  repeal  of  the  embargo  which  had  just  been  effected,  a 
favorable  opportunity  was  offered  for  renewing  negotiations. 
Mr.  Erskine  accordingly  received  from  the  English  Secretary 
of  State  power  and  instructions  to  treat,  and  in  consideration 


112  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

of  certain  concessions  by  the  British  Government  the  President 
suspended  the  non-intercourse  act,  but  this  was  no  sooner  done 
than  the  English  Government  disavowed  Mr.  Erskine's  negotia- 
tions, and  Mr.  Madison  declared  the  non-intercourso  act  again 
in  full  force.  These  diplomatic  blunders  were  unfortunate,  and 
led  both  Americans  and  the  Parliamentary  opposition  to  believe 
that  the  disavowal  of  Mr.  Erskine  was  merely  an  act  of  capri- 
cious hostility  on  the  part  of  the  British  Minister,  and  Mr.  Jack- 
son, who  was  sent  in  his  place,  was  received  with  coldness,  and 
having  angrily  retorted  to  an  allusion  to  the  duplicity  of  the 
British  Government,  his  recall  was  demanded. 

France  was  more  friendly  in  reference  to  the  edict  and  was 
willing  to  annul  her  decrees  if  England  would  raise  her  block- 
ade. Mr.  Madison  took  advantage  of  this  fairness  on  the  part  of 
France  to  secure  from  Congress  resolutions  approving  the  high 
and  defiant  tone  of  policy  observed  by  him  toward  England, 
and  preparations  for  war  were  begun.  The  non-intercourse 
act  expiring  in  1810,  the  Americans  again  insisted  upon  the  two 
powers  removing  their  restrictions  ;  a  declaration  of  war  being 
Mr.  Madison's  purpose  if  the  restrictions  were  not  removed,  as 
they  were  equivalent  to  our  abandonment  of  the  sea  altogether. 
To  this  Napoleon  replied,  amicably  offering  to  suspend  his 
decrees.  The  British  Government,  through  stubbornness  and 
from  a  pretended  belief  in  the  insincerity  of  the  French 
declaration,  as  well  as  from  the  fact  that  our  demand  was 
accompanied  by  a  menace,  refused  to  repeal  the  order  in 
council. 

This  conduct  strengthened  the  animosity  against  Great  Brit- 
ain and  resulted  in  admitting  the  vessels  of  France  to  our 
ports  whilst  the  interdict  against  the  English  was  renewed. 
The  condition  of  affairs  after  this  was  such  that  Mr.  Pinckney, 
our  Minister,  demanded  his  audience  of  leave,  believing  that 
his  mission  was  hopeless. 

Soon  after  this  an  accidental  collision  took  .place  between 
vessels  of  the  respective  countries  tending  much  to  widen  the 
existing  differences.  An  English  sloop  of  war  the  Little  Belt, 
meeting  the  American  frigate  the  President  on  our  coast,  both 
simultaneously  hailed  each  other.  Without  replying,  both  hailed. 


JAMES  MADISON.  118 

again,  resulting  in  the  first  shot  from  the  Little  Belt  and  her 
severe  handling  by  the  President,  in  which  engagement  the 
British  sloop  lost  over  thirty  men  while  the  ship  suffered  severely. 
This  hastened  preparations  for  war  by  the  United  States,  and 
fortifications  were  prepared  at  New  York  and  New  Orleans,  the 
latter  point  being  the  most  vulnerable  part  of  the  country. 

In  the  spring  of  1811  Mr.  Foster  was  sent  as  plenipotentiary 
from  England  to  make  another  attempt  at  negotiation,  but  as 
he  had  no  power  for  stipulating  the  repeal  of  the  orders  in 
council,  nothing  resulted  from  his  mission. 

In  the  November  following  Congress  was  called  together,  and 
President  Madison  addressed  it  fully  respecting  the  consequences 
of  the  still  widening  difference,  showing  that  even  after  the  ex- 
tinction of  the  French  decrees  the  orders  in  council  of  Great 
Britain  had  been  put  into  more  rigorous  execution  and  fresh 
outrages  had  been  committed  on  the  A.merican  coasts.  ' '  With 
this  evidence,"  said  Mr.  Madison,  "of  hostile  inflexibility,  in 
trampling  on  rights  which  no  independent  nation  can  relinquish, 
Congress  will  feel  the  duty  of  putting  the  United  States  into  an 
armor  and  an  attitude  demanded  by  the  crisis  and  correspond- 
ing with  the  national  spirit  and  expectations."  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  demands  of  increase  in  the  army,  the  navy,  and  all 
military  stores  and  establishments. 

Active  preparations  for  early  hostilities  were  made  during 
the  winter  of  1811.  The  British  Government  became  arrogant 
as  it  met  with  military  success  in  the  conflict  with  France,  and 
although  the  able  Marquis  of  Lansiowne  in  the  House  of  Lords, 
and  the  eloquent  Brougham,  in  the  Commons,  used  their 
strongest  appeals  in  favor  of  abandoning  the  obnoxious  orders, 
still  nothing  satisfactory  could  be  accomplished.  Finding 
that  all  our  efforts  for  a  peaceful  settlement  were  in  vain,  the 
President  sent  a  message  to  Congress,  calling  attention  to  all 
the  causes  of  complaint  against  England,  including  the  stirring 
up  of  the  Indians  on  the  Wabash  River,  and  a  formal  declara- 
tion of  war  was  recommended,  and  although  the  Federals  were 
opposed  to  the  extreme  measure,  war  was  declared  against 
Great  Britain  on  the  18th  day  of  June,  1812.  Massachusetts, 
and  especially  Boston,  was  most  adverse  to  hostilities  with 


114  LIVES   OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Great  Britain,  while  the  Southern  States  were  strongly  favor- 
able to  the  war. 

The  war  opened  by  skirmishes  in  Canada  and  on  the  Ameri- 
can border.  When  hostilities  commenced,  General  Hull,  Gov- 
ernor of  Michigan  Territory,  collected  over  two  thousand  troops, 
and  invaded  Canada  with  the  intention  of  attacking  Montreal, 
but  learning  that  the  Indians  had  invaded  his  territory  in  the 
rear,  and  that  General  Brock  was  in  his  front  with  a  consider- 
able force,  he  retreated  to  Fort  Detroit,  where  Brock  besieged 
him,  and  Hull,  hoisting  the  white  flag,  surrendered  the  fort  and 
army  without  firing  a  gun.  In  about  a  month  after,  another 
American  army  was  collected  upon  the  same  position,  and 
Queenstown,  on  the  Niagara,  was  selected  as  the  point  of 
attack.  An  American  division  under  Colonel  Van  Rensse- 
laer  crossed  with  the  expectation  of  capturing  the  place.  It 
was  gallantly  stormed,  but  General  Brock  arrived  just  at 
the  point  of  victory  and  drove  the  Americans  back,  while 
their  militia  refused  to  cross  the  river  to  reinforce  their  army. 
The  battle  resulted  in  the  capture  of  all  who  crossed  ;  the 
British  victory  being  clouded,  however,  by  the  loss  of  the 
gallant  Brock,  who  was  shot  while  leading  his  men.  Thus 
singularly  were  the  Americans  defeated  on  land  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war  while  victory  immediately  perched  upon  oar 
banner  on  the  sea.  General  Hull  had  scarcely  surrendered  ere 
Captain  Hull,  commanding  the  Constitution,  met  the  British 
frigate  Guerriere  and  in  half  an  hour's  engagement  so  com- 
pletely disabled  her  as  not  only  to  compel  her  surrender  but 
to  necessitate  burning  her. 

Another  signal  naval  victory  was  achieved  on  the  17th  of 
October,  over  an  enemy  decidedly  superior  in  force.  This  was 
the  capture  of  the  brig  Frolic  of  twenty-two  guns  by  the 
sloop-of-war  Wasp,  in  command  of  Captain  Paul  Jones,  who 
had  returned  from  France  two  weeks  after  the  declaration  of 
war,  and  again  on  the  13th  of  October  put  to  sea.  On  the  17th 
he  fell  in  with  six  merchant  ships  under  convoy  of  a  brig  and 
two  ships,  armed  with  sixteen  guns  each.  The  brig,  which 
proved  to  be  the  Frolic,  dropped  behind  and  opened  the 
engagement  with  the  Wasp.  In  five  minutes  the  Frolic's 


JAMES  MAbiSOtf,  115 

inaintopmast  was  shot  away,  bringing  down  her  maintopsail 
yard  across  the  sails.  In  two  minutes  more  her  gaff  and 
mizzen-topgallant-mast  was  shot  away.  Soon  after  this  Cap- 
tain Jones  boarded  her  and  found  an  almost  unprecedented 
scene  of  havoc  and  ruin,  with  thirty  killed  and  fifty  wounded, 
while  on  board  the  Wasp  only  five  were  killed  and  five 
slightly  wounded.  The  Wasp  and  Frolic,  however,  were  both 
captured  the  same  day  by  a  British  seventy-four-gun  ship. 

On  the  25th  of  October  a  combat  occurred  between  the  frigate 
United  States,  commanded  by  Commodore  Decatur,  and  the 
British  ship  Macedonian,  resulting  in  the  surrender  of  the  latter 
after  great  loss  of  men  and  damage  to  the  vessel. 

In  November  Congress  met,  and  President  Madison  in  his 
message  frankly  acknowledged  the  defeats  our  armies  had 
met  with  on  the  Canadian  border.  He  also  complained  of  the 
savage  warfare  brought  on  by  British  employment  of  the 
Indians.  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  also  came  in  for  a 
share  of  blame  in  refusing  to  furnish  their  quota  of  militia. 
But  while  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  put  an  army  in  the 
field,  our  navy  was  gaining  tbe  most  signal  and  remarkable 
victories  on  record. 

On  December  29th  the  Constitution  gained  a  second  victory, 
her  capture  being  the  Java,  a  British  frigate  of  49  guns 
and  400  men.  This  engagement  was  fought  off  St.  Salvador, 
and  after  two  hours  the  Java  struck  her  colors,  naving  lost 
sixty  killed  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  wounded.  The  Con- 
stitution had  nine  killed  and  twenty-five  wounded.  During 
the  winter  also,  after  a  fifteen  minutes'  engagement,  the  Amer- 
ican ship  Hornet  captured  the  British  sloop-of-war  Peacock. 
On  surrendering  she  displayed  a  signal  of  distress,  and  was 
found  to  be  sinking  so  fast  that  the  Hornet's  crew,  laboring  at 
the  risk  of  their  lives,  could  not  rescue  all  the  vanquished,  and 
nine  of  the  British  and  three  Americans  went  down  with  the 
sloop.  The  English  were  left  so  destitute  that  the  Hornefs 
crew  divided  their  clothing  with  them. 

At  this  period  of  the  war  the  Presidential  election  took  place, 
and  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  Eastern  States,  Mr. 
Madison  was  re-elected,  and  the  majority  in  Congress  justify- 


116  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

ing  his  course  was  sufficient  to  pass  a  resolution  approving  the 
President's  refusal  to  make  peace,  except  upon  the  removal  of 
the  possibility  of  the  English  impressing  or  searching  for 
American  seamen. 

On  land  the  war  was  continued  through  the  inclemency  of  a 
Northern  winter,  and  in  January,  1813,  General  Winchester 
marched  with  an  American  army  to  recapture  Detroit ;  but 
General  Procter,  with  a  force  of  regular  troops  and  Indians, 
defeated  the  Americans,  and  took  Winchester  and  the  greater 
number  of  his  army  prisoners.  Soon  after  this  the  Kentucky 
troops  marched  upon  Procter,  and  at  their  first  charge  drove 
hun  from  his  position,  but  the  British  rallied  and  routed  the 
Americans.  The  defeats  of  the  American  army  soon  proved 
the  necessity  of  turning  our  military  operations  on  the  Canada 
border  into  naval  ones,  and  a  fleet  was  fitted  out  on  Lake  Ontario 
with  great  activity  and  zeal,  and  by  the  end  of  April  it  was 
ready  to  transport  a  small  army.  The  first  expedition  embarked 
two  thousand  men  and  captured  York,  with  about  six  hundred 
British  prisoners.  This  stirred  up  the  British  to  rival  their 
enemy  on  the  lakes,  and  soon  they  had  a  flotilla  equal,  or  supe- 
rior, to  the  Americans,  which  turned  the  advantage  upon  Lake 
Ontario  against  them. 

Lake  Erie,  however,  was  the  scene  of  our  grandest  naval 
victory.  Commodore  Perry,  with  a  fleet  of  nine  vessels  of  fifty 
to  sixty  guns  each,  met  a  force  of  six  of  the  enemy's  ships  of 
a  still  greater  number  of  guns,  and  capturing  their  whole 
squadron,  sent  his  laconic  report :  "We  have  met  the  enemy 
and  they  are  ours." 

This  great  victory  had  such  a  depressing  effect  upon  the 
British  that  they  were  forced  to  fall  back  from  their  positions, 
Detroit  being  the  first  stronghold  abandoned.  In  this  retreat 
the  Americans  under  General  Harrison  came  up  with  Sir  George 
Prevost  near  the  Moravian  villages  on  the  Thames,  and  defeated 
him  with  signal  loss  to  the  British.  In  this  battle  Tecumseh, 
the  great  Indian  warrior,  was  slain,  and  this  seemed  to  dis- 
courage the  savage  allies. 

The  turn  of  the  victorious  tide  brought  about  by  the  engage- 
ment on  Lake  Erie  prepared  the  way  for  a  more  successful  in- 


JAMES  MADISON.  117 

vasion  of  Canada.  The  force  destined  for  this  work  amounted 
to  twelve  thousand  men,  eight  thousand  of  whom  were  sta- 
tioned at  Niagara  and  four  thousand  at  Plattsburg.  In  addition 
to  these  forces,  those  under  General  Harrison  were  expected 
to  arrive  in  season  to  take  an  important  part  in  the  campaign. 

The  plan  was  to  descend  the  St.  Lawrence,  pass  the  British 
forts  above,  and,  after  a  junction  with  General  Hampton,  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  island  of  Montreal.  This  plan  was  prevented  by  unex- 
pected obstacles,  and  the  American  army  wintered  at  St.  Regis. 

General  Wilkinson  concentrated  his  forces  at  Grenadier's 
Island,  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  Montreal,  and  leav- 
ing this  place  on  the  25th  of  October,  on  board  the  fleet,  they 
descended  the  St.  Lawrence,  in  expectation  of  capturing  Mont- 
real. Arriving  at  Williams  burg  on  the  9th  of  November, 
fifteen  hundred  men  were  landed  from  the  flotilla  to  protect 
the  boats  in  their  passage  of  the  rapids.  This  detachment  meet- 
ing a  body  of  the  enemy  on  the  llth,  engaged  them,  resulting 
in  a  drawn  fight.  A  few  days  previous  to  this  battle,  as  General 
Harrison  had  not  arrived,  General  Wilkinson  dispatched  orders 
to  General  Hampton  to  meet  him  at  St.  Regis.  This  being 
impracticable,  the  proposed  attack  on  Montreal  was  abandoned, 
and  the  army  went  into  winter  quarters  at  French  Mills. 

In  the  Southwest  a  furious  war  was  earned  on  between  the 
Creek  Indians  and  the  Americans,  in  which  General  Jackson, 
by  his  great  valor,  subdued  the  savages  after  destroying  a  large 
part  of  their  tribe. 

At  sea  this  year  the  Americans  had  not  been  so  successful,  as 
the  British  were  very  desirous  of  wiping  out  some  of  the  stains 
on  the  navy  of  their  country.  After  the  victory  of  the  Hornet 
over  the  Peacock,  Captain  Lawrence  was  promoted  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  frigate  Chesapeake.  The  British  frigate  Shannon 
was  soon  off  Boston  harbor,  and  Captain  Broke,  her '  com- 
mander, challenged  the  Chesapeake,  and  Captain  Lawrence 
sailed  out  to  meet  the  foe,  who,  after  fifteen  minutes,  boarded 
and  captured  the  Chesapeake.  The  gallant  Lawrence  was  mor- 
tally wounded,  and  his  dying  orders  were  :  "  Don't  give  up  the 
ship." 

Congress  still  supported  the  policy  of  Mr.  Madison,  not  with- 


118  LIVES    OF  OUB  PRESIDENTS. 

standing  the  complaint  of  the  opposition  at  the  expense.  The 
summer  session  was  devoted  to  voting  additional  taxes,  which, 
now  that  commerce  was  paralyzed,  were  necessarily  some  of 
them  internal.  Duties  were  levied  on  wine,  spirits,  sugar,  salt, 
etc.,  and  a  loan  of  over  seven  millions  of  Hollars  was  author- 
ized, and  still  other  loans  were  required.  During  the  course  of 
the  year  the  Emperor  of  Russia  offert  d  his  mediation  between 
England  and  America.  We  at  once  sent  commissioners  to  St. 
Petersburg,  but  Great  Britain  declined  the  mediation,  but 
offered  to  send  commissioners  to  any  neutral  port  more  friendly 
to  England.  Gothenburg  was  selected  for  the  purpose. 

At  both  extremities  of  Lake  Ontario  the  war  was  continued 
by  desultory  engagements  of  either  army.  Forts  Erie  and 
Oswego  were  taken  by  the  British.  In  July  an  American 
invading  force  attacked  the  British  at  Chippewa,  in  Canada, 
and  repulsed  the  enemy.  Soon  after  this,  Commodore 
McDonough,  with  his  fleet,  met  the  ships  of  the  enemy  on 
Lake  Champlain,  and  captured  the  entire  British  fleet. 

As  the  war  in  Europe  was  now  over,  Great  Britain  determined 
to  make  the  United  States  feel  more  fully  the  inconvenience  of 
having  provoked  their  hostility,  and  a  squadron  under  Sir 
Alexander  Cochrane,  with  an  army  on  board  under  General 
Ross,  sailed  up  the  Chesapeake  in  the  month  of  August  in  pur- 
suit of  the  American  flotilla,  which  had  taken  shelter  in  the 
Patuxent  River.  As  the  British  fleet  could  not  go  up  the  river, 
General  Ross  disembarked  his  troops  and  pursued  the  American 
vessels  by  land  until  they  were  destroyed  to  prevent  their  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  From  Marlborough,  where 
the  flotilla  was  destroyed,  the  British  troops  continued  their 
march  toward  Washington.  To  prevent  the  capture  of  the 
national  capital,  the  Americans  took  a  strong  position  at 
Bladensburg,  the  chief  approach  to  which  lay  over  a  bridge 
commanded  by  the  American  artillery,  but  the  raw  militia  of 
Virginia  and  Maryland  were  no  match  for  the  British  veterans 
of  the  peninsula,  and  after  three  hours'  fighting  Bladensburg 
was  abandoned  by  its  defenders,  and  the  British  marched  to 
Washington,  where  in  a  spirit  of  inexcusable  vandalism  they 
burned  the  public  buildings. 


JAMES  MADISON.  119 

On  the  invasion  of  the  capital  and  the  destruction  of  the 
national  buildings,  President  Madison,  from  his  retreat  in  Vir- 
ginia issued  a  proclamation  denouncing  the  wanton  acts  of 
destruction  by  the  British,  and  calling  upon  the  entire  country 
to  unite  in  a  manly  and  universal  determination  to  chastise  and 
expel  the  invader.  The  indignation  of  the  public,  however, 
was  divided  between  the  British  and  those  who  should  have 
provided  for  the  defense  of  the  capital. 

The  work  of  destruction  accomplished,  the  British  retreated 
without  loss  of  time  to  their  ships,  and  re-embarking,  sailed  to 
ravage  other  points.  Alexandria  was  captured  and  paid  a 
ransom  to  save  all  but  its  stores  and  shipping.  The  British  then 
selected  Baltimore  as  the  next  city  upon  which  to  wreak  their 
vengeance,  but  the  city  was  so  well  fortified  and  defended  that 
the  British  attack  was  repulsed. 

On  the  19th  of  September  Congress  again  assembled  at 
Washington,  the  members  meeting  in  rooms  hastily  fitted  up 
for  their  reception,  and  on  the  following  day  President  Madison 
sent  in  the  usual  Message  to  Congress,  in  which,  after  review- 
ing the  temporary  successes  and  permanent  dishonor  of  the 
enemy's  recent  unjustifiable  destruction  of  public  property, 
called  attention  to  the  splendid  victories  gained  on  the  Ca- 
nadian side  of  the  Niagara  by  the  American  forces  under 
Generals  Brown  and  Scott  and  Gaines.  The  Message  also 
called  attention  to  the  bold  and  skillful  operations  of  Major- 
General  Jackson  in  having  subdued  the  principal  tribes  of 
hostile  savages.  The  Message  then,  after  entering  into  financial 
details  of  national  receipts  and  expenditures,  closed  with  an 
earnest  appeal  for  both  men  and  money  to  vigorously  assail 
the  invading  foe  against  whom  we  had  forborne  declaring  war 
until,  among  other  British  aggressions,  had  been  added  the 
capture  of  nearly  one  thousand  American  vessels  and  the  im- 
pressment of  thousands  of  American  seafaring  citizens. 

The  commissioners  of  both  nations  had  in  the  meantime  met 
at  Ghent,  instead  of  Gothenburg  ;  but  the  victory  of  the  British 
over  Napoleon  had  made  them  arrogant,  and  their  demands 
were  more  than  we  would  concede. 

In  the  meantime  the  party  opposed  to  the  war  in  the  New 


120  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

England  States  became  highly  exasperated,  and  a  convention 
was  proposed  by  them  of  delegates  from  each  State  to  meet  at 
Hartford  in  order  to  consider  changes  in  the  Constitution.  But 
this  dangerous  spirit  was  arrested  by  the  tidings  that  peace 
negotiations  had  at  length  been  signed  at  Ghent.  These  tidings, 
however,  did  not  arrive  until  the  army,  victorious  at  Wash- 
ington, had  received  a  check  which  terminated  the  war  in  a 
manner  glorious  to  the  nation  and  much  to  the  support  of  Mr. 
Madison's  administration.  We  refer  of  course  to  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans. 

The  news  of  peace  came  amidst  the  rejoicings  for  the  victory 
of  New  Orleans.  It  was  doubly  welcome  because  so  gloriously 
terminated.  Great  Britain  made  no  demands,  and  as  impress- 
ment and  right  of  search  had  ceased  with  the  war  bet%veen 
Great  Britain  and  France,  we  naturally  desisted  from  our 
demand,  and  a  commercial  treaty  was  concluded  upon  fair 
terms  between  the  countries.  But  it  was  not  long  ere  this 
began  to  affect  American  manufactures.  During  the  war, 
whilst  shut  out  from  England,  the  Americans  began  to  manu- 
facture the  different  goods  they  were  deprived  of,  but  of  course 
at  a  higher  price  and  of  poorer  quality  than  those  excluded. 
Peace  brought  back  the  cheap  and  excellent  goods  of  England, 
the  competition  was  driving  American  manufacturers  to  the 
wall,  and  they  exclaimed  against  the  want  of  patriotism  in 
sacrificing  them  to  foreigners.  The  opinion  gained  strength  in 
the  country  that  our  manufacturers  should  be  supported  and 
encouraged,  and  Mr.  Madison,  himself  jealous  of  the  decline  of 
manufactures  and  still  more  of  shipping,  owing  to  the  rivalry 
of  the  British,  felt  his  old  prejudices  revive,  and  his  messages 
to  Congress  soon  began  to  recommend  prohibitory  measures 
and  conservative  duties. 

The  summer  and  winter  of  1816  passed  away  without  being 
marked  by  any  event  of  particular  importance,  and  the  time 
arrived  when  Mr.  Madison  should  leave  the  Presidential  chair 
and  retire  to  private  life.  Returning  to  MontpeUer  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  years  in  a  dignified  and  honorable  retire- 
ment. Without  mingling  in  the  petty  and  distracting  discus- 
sions of  the  day,  he  was  always  ready  to  express  his  opinions  on 


JAMES  MADISON.  121 

the  great  constitutional  questions  in  regard  to  which  he  was 
consulted.  No  man,  perhaps,  was  so  familiar  with  the  history 
of  the  constitution,  so  thoroughly  understood  it,  or  speculated 
with  so  much  clearness  and  felicity  on  its  principles  as  Mr. 
Madison.  The  letter  which  he  wrote  in  1830  to  Edward  Everett 
on  the  agitating  topic  of  nullification,  was  one  of  the  most 
admirable  and  conclusive  documents  which  ever  emanated  from 
any  of  our  statesmen  on  a  political  question.  From  this  lengthy 
and  comprehensive  document  we  extract  the  following  : 

''  The  constitution  was  formed,  not  by  the  governments  of  the  component 
States,  as  the  Federal  Government  for  which  it  was  substituted  was  formed. 
Nor  was  it  formed  by  a  majority  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  as  a  single 
community,  to  the  manner  of  a  consolidated  government. 

"It  was  formed  by  the  States,  that  is,  by  the  people  in  each  of  the  States, 
acting  in  their  highest  sovereign  capacity;  and  formed,  consequently,  by  the 
State  Constitution. 

•'  Being  thus  derived  from  the  same  source  as  the  constitutions  of  the 
States,  it  has,  within  each  State,  the  same  authority  as  the  constitution  of 
the  State ;  and  is  as  much  a  constitution,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  within 
its  prescribed  sphere,  as  the  constitutions  of  the  States  are  within  their  re- 
spective spheres,  but  with  this  obvious  and  essential  difference,  that  being 
a  compact  among  the  States  in  their  highest,  and  constituting  the  people 
thereof  one  people  for  certain  purposes,  it  cannot  be  altered  or  annulled  at  the 
will  of  the  States  individually,  as  the  constitution  of  a  State  may  be  at  its  in- 
dividual will. 

"  And  that  it  divides  the  supreme  powers  of  government  between  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  and  the  governments  of  the  individual  States 
is  stamped  on  the  face  of  the  instrument;  the  powers  of  war  and  of  taxation, 
of  commerce  and  of  treaties  and  of  other  enumerated  powers  vested  in  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  being  of  as  high  and  sovereign  a  character 
as  any  of  the  powers  reserved  to  the  State  governments. 

"  Nor  is  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  created  by  the  Constitution, 
less  a  government  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  within  the  sphere  of  its 
powers,  than  the  governments  created  by  the  constitutions  of  the  States  are, 
within  their  several  spheres.  It  is,  like  them,  organized  into  Legislative, 
Executive  and  Judiciary  departments.  It  operates,  like  them,  directly  on 
persons  and  things.  And,  like  them,  it  has  at  command  a  physical  force  for 
executing  the  powers  committed  to  it.  The  concurrent  operation  in  certain 
cases  is  one  of  the  features  marking  the  peculiarity  of  the  system. 

•'Between  these  different  constitutional  governments,  the  one  operating 
in  all  the  States,  the  others  operating  separately  in  each,  with  the  aggregate 
powers  of  government  divided  between  them,  it  could  not  escape  attention 
that  controversies  would  arise  concerning  the  boundaries  of  jurisdiction 
and  that  some  provision  ought  to  be  made  for  such  occurrences.  A  political 


122  LIVES    OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

system  that  does  not  provide  for  a  peaceable  and  authoritative  termination 
of  occurring  controversies  would  not  be  more  than  the  shadow  of  a  govern- 
ment; the  object  and  end  of  a  real  government  being  the  substitution  of  law 
and  order  for  uncertainty,  confusion  and  violence. 

"  That  to  hare  left  a  final  decision  in  such  cases  to  each  of  the  States  could 
not  fail  to  make  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States  different  in 
different  States  was  obvious,  and  not  less  obvious  that  this  diversity  of  inde- 
pendent decisions  must  altogether  distract  the  Government  of  the  Union  and 
speedily  put  an  end  tc  the  Union  itself.  A  uniform  authority  of  the  laws  is  in 
itself  a  vital  principle,  home  of  the  most  important  laws  could  not  be  par- 
tially executed.  They  must  be  duly  executed  in  all  the  States  or  they  could 
be  duly  executed  in  none.  An  import  or  an  excise,  for  example,  if  not  in 
force  in  some  States  would  be  defeated  in  others.  It  is  well  known  that  this 
was  among  the  lessons  of  experience  which  had  a  primary  influence  in  bring- 
ing about  the  existing  Constitution.  A  loss  of  its  general  authority  would 
moreover  revive  the  exasperating  questions  between  the  States  holding  ports 
for  foreign  commerce  and  the  adjoining  States  without  them. 


"  To  have  referred  every  clashing  decision,  under  the  two  authorities  for 
a  final  decision,  to  the  States  as  parties  to  the  Constitution,  would  be  at- 
tended with  delays,  with  inconveniences  and  with  expenses  amounting  to  a 
prohibition  of  the  expedient,  not  to  mention  its  tendency  to  impair  the 
salutary  veneration  for  a  system  requiring  sucU  frequent  interpositions,  nor 
the  delicate  questions  which  might  present  themselves  as  to  the  form  of 
stating  the  appeal  and  as  to  the  quorum  for  deciding  it. 

"To  have  trusted  to  negotiation  for  adjusting  disputes  between  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  and  the  State  governments,  as  between 
independent  and  separate  sovereignties,  would  have  lost  sight  altogether  of 
a  constitution  and  government  for  the  Union,  and  opened  a  direct  road  from 
a  failure  of  that  resort  to  the  ultima  ratio  between  nations  wholly  hide- 
pendent  of  and  alien  to  each  other." 

Mr.  Madison,  in  this  style,  ably  followed  out  the  entire  argu- 
ment against  the  false  and  dangerous  doctrine  of  nullification, 
and  the  assertion  of  the  right  of  a  minority  of  the  State  to 
change  or  annul  the  Constitution,  calling  attention  to  the  pro- 
vision in  the  Constitution  itself  requiring  two-thirds  of  the 
States  to  institute  and  three-fourths  to  effectuate  an  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution. 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  Lfe  Mr.  Madison  was  associated 
with  Mr.  Jefferson  in  the  institution  of  the- University  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  after  his  death  was  placed  at  its  head  with  the  title 
of  Rector.  He  was  also  president  of  an  agricultural  society  in 


JAMES  MADISON.  123 

the  county  of  his  residence.  Such  were  the  occupations  of  i  his 
philosopher,  statesman  and  patriot  until  the  21st  day  of  June, 
1836,  tho  anniversary  of  the  day  on.  which  the  ratification  of 
the  constitution  of  Virginia,  in  1738,  had  affixed  the  seal  of 
James  Madison  as  the  father  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  when,  without  a  struggle,  his  life  serenely  ended  on 
earth,  and  he  passed  into  that  land  beyond  the  bounds  of  time. 


JAMES  MONROE. 


James  Monroe,  the  fifth  President  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  September,  1759,  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  in  the 
county  of  Westmoreland,  Virginia.  His  ancestors  had  for  many 
years  resided  in  the  province  in  which  he  was  born,  and  one  of 
them  was  among  the  first  patentees  of  that  province. 

Young  Monroe  was,  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  in  the  process 
of  completing  his  classical  education  at  the  College  of  William 
and  Mary,  when  the  Colonial  delegates,  assembled  at  Philadel- 
phia to  deliberate  upon  the  unjust  and  manifold  oppressions  of 
Great  Britain,  declared  the  separation  of  the  colonies,  and  pro- 
mulgated the  Declaration  of  Independence.  His  youth  pre- 
cluded him  from  taking  any  part  in  the  controversies  which  had 
agitated  the  country  from  the  first  attempt  to  enforce  the  Stamp 
act ;  but  upon  the  first  formation  of  the  American  army  young 
Monroe,  at  that  period  eighteen  years  of  age,  left  his  college 
and  proceeded  to  General  Washington's  headquarters  at  New 
York,  enrolled  himself  in  the  army  as  a  cadet  in  the  regiment 
commanded  by  Colonel  Mercer,  and  shared  all  the  defeats  and 
privations  which  attended  the  footsteps  of  Washington  through 
the  disastrous  battles  of  Flatbush,  Harlem  Heights  and  White 
Plains.  •  He  was  present  at  the  succeeding  evacuation  of  New 
York  and  Long  Island,  at  the  surrender  of  Fort  Washington 
and  the  retreat  through  New  Jersey.  He  stood  with  Washing- 
ton on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  to  contend  with  the  British 
invader,  and  at  tho  battle  of  Trenton  he  led  the  vanguard,  and 
in  charging  the  enemy  received  a  wound  in  his  left  shoulder. 
This  bnivery  secured  his  promotion  to  a  captaincy  of  infantry, 
which  position  he  assumed  after  his  recovery  from  the  wound. 
Soon  after  this  he  became  an  officer  on  the  staff  of  Lord  Ster- 
ling, and  later  exerted  himself  to  collect  a  regiment  for  the 


126  LIVES  OB1  OUR 

Virginia  line.  Failing  in  this,  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, at  that  time  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  pursued  the  study  of 
law,  serving  at  the  same  time  as  a  volunteer.  He  was  next 
promoted  by  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  position  of  military  com- 
missioner, to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the  Southern  army 
under  De  Kalb. 

His  talents  were  such  that  the  country  needed  him  in  a 
higher  field,  and  in  1782  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  Virginia,  and  by  that  body  he  was  elevated  to  a  seat 
in  the  Executive  Council,  where  he  displayed  such  extraordi- 
nary talent  that  in  the  succeeding  year  he  was  chosen  a  member 
of  Congress,  and  from  1783  to  1786  was  an  industrious  and  use- 
ful member.  In  1784  he  was  appointed  one  of  nine  commis- 
sioners to  act  as  judges  in  a  controversy  between  the  States  of 
Massachusetts  and  New  York. 

During  his  attendance  in  Congress  at  New  York  he  married 
Miss  Kortwright  of  that  city,  who  was  not  only  celebrated  for 
her  beauty,  but  for  her  accomplishments  of  mind  and  elegance 
of  manners. 

In  1787  Mr.  Monroe  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Fredericks- 
burg,  but  soon  after  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  the  State, 
and  in  the  following  year  chosen  a  member  of  that  Virginia 
Convention  which  met  to  decide  upon  the  Federal  Constitution. 
Mr.  Monroe,  with  such  men  as  George  Mason  and  Patrick 
Henry,  opposed  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  in  the 
form  in  which  it  had  been  submitted,  but  the  position  he  took 
did  not  shake  the  confidence  and  high  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  by  the  citizens  of  his  native  State,  for  in  1789  he  was 
chosen  by  them  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  United  States  Senate,  in 
which  position  he  continued  for  nearly  five  years.  In  1794,  our 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  France  having  been  recalled,  Mr. 
Monroe  was  appointed  his  successor.  At  the  close  of  Washing- 
ton's administration  he  was  recalled,  and  returning  home,  pub- 
lished an  able  work  in  explanation  of  his  own  opinions  and 
proceedings,  entitled  :  "A  View  of  the  Conduct  of  the  Execu- 
tive in  the  Foreign  Affairs  of  the  Unite  1  States,  connected  with 
the  Mission  to  the  French  Republic,  during  the  years  1794,  5 
and  6."  Mr.  Monroe  was  bitterly  opposed  to  the  treaty  which 


JAMES  MONROE.  127 

Mr.  Jay  had  concluded  with  Great  Britain,  although  it  proved 
afterward  very  beneficial  to  this  country,  but  Mr.  Monroe's 
election  to  the  State  Legislature  on  his  return  home,  and  soon 
after  to  the  office  of  Governor  of  Virginia,  proves  how  strong 
a  hold  he  had  upon  the  hearts  and  confidence  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 

On  the  llth  of  January,  1803,  Mr.  Monroe  was  appointed  En- 
voy Extraordinary,  and  joined  with  that  eminent  patriot,  Rob- 
ert R.  Livingston,  our  resident  Minister  in  France,  to  negotiate 
a  purchase  of  the  island  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  Spanish  ter- 
ritory east  of  the  Mississippi  River.  He  was  also  appointed 
with  Charles  Pinckney,  then  our  Minister  Plenipotentiary  at 
Madrid,  to  an  extraordinary  Mission,  to  negotiate,  if  necessary, 
the  same  purchase  with  Spain,  which  nation  still  held  possession 
of  Louisiana. 

It  was  not  until  after  Mr.  Monroe's  arrival  in  France  that  the 
Emperor  was  favorably  inclined  to  the  sale  of  Louisiana,  but 
realizing  the  need  of  the  large  amount  of  money  asked  for  the 
territory,  he  showed  a  willingness  to  sell.  The  benefits  secured 
to  the  United  States  by  the  fifteen  millions  of  dollars  paid  for 
Louisiana  can  scarcely  be  fully  realized.  Had  the  French  con- 
tinued to  hold  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  with  the  English  in 
possession  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  we  would  have  had  only  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  for  an  outlet,  and  it  is  probable  that  those  two 
powerful  empires  would  have  sought  to  possess  themselves  of 
the  entire  Pacific  coast,  and  they  would  probably  have  made 
our  Western  territories  their  battle-field,  and  no  one  could  have 
foreseen  the  fate  of  the  country. 

After  this  successful  sale  and  important  treaty  had  been  rati- 
fied, and  certain  claims  of  American  citizens  upon  France  ad- 
justed, Mr.  Monroe  proceeded  to  England  as  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary, to  succeed  Rufus  King,  who,  after  seven  years'  faithful 
service,  had  requested  that  he  might  return  home.  Mr.  Mon- 
roe, in  the  same  conciliatory  spirit  which  Mr.  King  had  exer- 
cised, was  endeavoring  to  adjust  our  difficulties  with  Great 
Britain  in  reference  to  the  odious  impressment  outrages  which 
were  renewed  on  the  outbreak  of  the  war  between  France  and 
England,  when  he  was  summoned  to  discharge  his  extiaordi- 


128  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

nary  mission  to  Spain,  in  reference  to  the  purchase  of  Florida 
and  the  definite  settlement  of  the  boundaries  of  Louisiana. 
After  remaining  in  Madrid  five  months,  Mr.  Monroe  returned  to 
England  in  June,  1805,  to  find  that  affairs  had  assumed  such  a 
menacing  aspect  that  he  had  to  contend  with  great  difficulties. 
Mr.  Pitt  was  at  the  head  of  the  British  Government,  and  pur- 
sued the  interested  and  base  policy  of  destroying  the  commerce 
of  neutrals  with  France  and  Spain,  to  compel  its  enemies  to 
traffic  with  the  subjects  of  Great  Britain.  To  effect  this  the 
British  cruisers  seized  many  of  our  vessels  and  procured  their 
condemnation  in  the  courts  of  admiralty.  Mr.  Monroe  remon- 
strated against  these  acts  of  injustice,  and  being  joined  soon 
after  by  Mr.  William  Pinckney,  a  treaty  was  secured  by  which, 
with' proper  modifications  on  our  part,  peace  and  harmony 
might  have  been  restored,  but  President  Jefferson  insisted  that 
some  securer  provisions  might  be  added  in  reference  to  the  im- 
pressment of  seamen.  The  new  British  Minister  refused  to 
negotiate  further  on  the  ratification  of  the  treaty,  and  therefore 
the  mission  of  Monroe  and  Pinckney  was  at  an  end.  From  this 
period  Mr  Monroe  never  again  went  abroad,  but  was  employed, 
until  the  expiration  of  his  Presidential  term,  in  offices  of  the 
highest  importance  and  trust  in  his  own  country. 

For  a  few  months  after  his  return  he  rested  from  his  labors 
in  the  peaceful  retreat  of  domestic  retirement,  and  then  he  was 
called  to  a  seat  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  again  re-elected 
Governor  of  Virginia  for  one  term.  After  this,  in  the  spring  of 
1811,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Madison  Secretary  of  State. 
He  accepted  this  important  position  at  a  critical  period  in  our 
national  history,  when  we  were  just  on  the  eve  of  war,  and  as 
he  was  among  the  first  of  those  gallant  men  who  joined  the 
army  of  the  Revolution,  so  he  was  called  to  the  councils  of  Gov- 
ernment in  an  hour  of  great  need  for  his  services.  Mr.  Monroe, 
in  addition  to  his  office  of  Secretary  of  State,  was  also  appointed 
Secretary  of  War,  after  the  blunders  of  the  former  incumbent 
of  the  office  had  compelled  him  to  resign,  and  the  successes  of 
the  war  in  our  favor  may  be  said  to  have  dated  from  Mr.  Mon- 
roe's discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  important  office,  at  least  so 
far  as  the  able  services  of  Mr.  Monroe  could  improve  our  mili- 


JAMES  MONROE.  129 

tary  condition  in  the  field.  In  the  discharge  of  his  duties  and 
in  his  noble  devotion  to  his  country  at  a  time  when  our  finances 
were  in  a  deplorable  condition,  he,  with  a  spirit  of  sacrifice 
worthy  of  the  brightest  epoch  of  Grecian  renown,  pledged  his 
own  individual  credit  in  aid  of  a  national  loan. 

On  the  return  of  peace  Mr.  Monroe  relinquished  his  office  in 
the  Department  of  War,  and  continued  to  exercise  the  duties  of 
Secretary  of  State  until  the  close  of  Mr.  Madison's  administra- 
tion. On  the  5th  of  March,  1817,  Mr.  Monroe  was  inaugurated 
as  President  of  the  United  States,  upon  which  occasion  he 
delivered  a  most  able  inaugural  address,  in  which,  calling 
attention  to  the  recent  war  he  urged  upon  our  people  the 
necessity  of  a  better  military  and  naval  defense  of  our 
country. 

Among  the  appointments  of  President  Monroe  was  that  of 
John  Quincy  Adams  as  Secretary  of  State  ;  Wm.  H.  Crawford 
as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  John  C.  Calhoun  as  Secretary  of 
War,  and  B.  W.  Crowninshield  as  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  Soon 
after  making  these  appointments  Mr.  Monroe  left  Washington 
to  commence  his  tour  through  the  States,  which  elicited  a  most 
general  expression  of  kindness,  respect  and  courtesy.  In  his 
receptions  in  the  various  cities  he  received  and  delivered 
addresses  denoting  the  highest  statesmanship. 

President  Monroe  returned  from  his  extensive  and  felicitous 
tour  in  time  for  the  assembling  of  the  new  Congress,  during 
which  session  the  State  of  Mississippi  was  admitted  into  the 
Union. 

Soon  after  the  adjournment  of  Congress  Mr.  Monroe  visited 
those  parts  of  the  United  States  most  exposed  to  the  enemy,  and 
especially  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  country  lying  on  its  exten- 
sive shores.  Accompanied  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  and  other  prominent  officials,  he  made  an  exami- 
nation of  Annapolis  and  the  contiguous  waters  in  reference  to 
their  fitness  for  a  naval  depot.  After  making  a  further  exam- 
ination of  the  coast  he  proceeded  to  Norfolk,  from  which  point 
he  returned  to  Washington  through  the  interior  of  Virginia. 
During  the  summer  of  1819  President  Monroe  visited  the  South- 
ern section  of  the  country,  having  in  view  the  same  great 


130  LIVES  OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

national  interests  which  had  prompted  him  in  his  previous  tour 
to  the  North. 

The  most  important  topic  of  consideration  during  the  ensu- 
ing session  was  connected  with  the  admission  of  the  Territory 
of  Missouri  into  the  Union.  It  was  on  the  expediency  of  im- 
poting  it  as  a  condition  of  this  admission  that  the  future 
removal  or  transportation  of  slaves  into  that  territory  should 
be  prohibited.  This  question  gave  rise  to  great  warmth  of 
feeling,  and  seemed  at  one  time  to  threaten  a  dissolution  of  the 
Union. 

In  the  spring  of  1820  the  President  transmitted  to  Congress 
important  messages  on  the  subject  of  our  relations  with  Spain. 
The  King  of  Spain  had  failed  to  ratify  the  treaty  with  the 
Unitrd  States,  and  sent  a  Minister  to  Washington  who  had 
no  authority  to  surrender  the  territory  in  dispute,  but  was 
instructed  to  make  complaints  and  demand  explanations  respect- 
ing an  imputed  system  of  hostility  on  the  part  of  citizens  of  the 
United  States  against  the  subjects  and  dominion  of  Spain,  and 
to  obtain  new  stipulations  against  these  alleged  injuries  as  the 
condition  on  which  the  treaty  should  be  ratified.  One  proposi- 
tion of  the  Minister  was  that  the  United  States  should  abandon 
the  right  to  recognize  the  revolutionary  colonies  in  South 
America,  or  to  form  new  relations  with  them.  In  reference  to 
this,  in  his  message,  Mr.  Monroe's  sentiments  were  of  the  highest 
order  of  statesmanship,  and  while  he  admitted  that  we  might 
at  pleasure  occupy  the  territory  which  was  intended  and  pro- 
vided by  the  late  treaty  as  an  indemnity  for  losses  so  long  since 
sustained  by  our  citizens,  he  urged  the  nobler  forbearance  until 
the  head  of  the  new  organization  of  the  Spanish  Government 
fully  understood  the  international  question  and  difference 
between  us. 

On  the  13th  of  November,  1820,  Congress  reassembled  at 
Washington,  and  the  President's  message  included  a  most  in- 
teresting report  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  government, 
its  resources  and  expenditures,  together  with  an  accurate  state- 
ment of  the  public  debt,  and  its  reduction  during  the  five  years 
ending  the  80th  of  September,  1820,  and  he  called  attention  to 
the  fact  that  during  this  period  the  expenses  of  the  government 


JAMES  MONROE. 


131 


of  the  United  States  were  likewise  defrayed  in  every  branch  of 
the  civil,  military  and  naval  establishments  ;  the  public  edifices 
in  Washington  had  been  rebuilt  with  considerable  additions ; 
extensive  fortifications  had  been  commenced  and  were  in  rapid 
process  of  execution  ;  permanent  arsenals  and  magazines  had 
been  erected  in  various  parts  of  the  Union  ;  our  navy  had  been 
considerably  augmented,  and  all  our  ordnance,  munitions  of 
war,  and  military  and  naval  stores,  replenished. 
With  much  pride  Mr.  Monroe  called  attention  to  the  fact 


THE  CAPITOL  AT  WASHINGTON. 

that  the  public  expenditures  for  the  year  had  been  less  than 
seventeen  millions  of  dollars,  while  a  substantial  balance  re- 
mained in  the  Treasury. 

On  the  25th  of  November  an  effort  was  again  made  to  secure 
the  admission  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri  to  the  Union.  The 
debate  on  the  subject  continued  for  one  week  and  it  was  de- 
cided by  a  majority  of  fourteen  in  the  House  that  Missouri 
could  not  be  admitted  into  the  Union  with  the  present  consti- 
tution. 

The  Missouri  question  again  presented  iiself  in  rather  a  dif- 
ferent shape  on  the  14th  of  February,  1821,  the  day  appointed 


132  LIVES  OF  OUR  PKESIDENTS. 

by  law  for  opening  and  counting  the  votes  for  President  and 
Vice-President  for  the  ensuing  term.  It  was  foreseen  that  a 
difficulty  might  arise  in  regard  to  the  votes  for  Missouri.  To 
guard  against  any  possible  difficulty  a  resolution  was  passed  in 
the  Senate  directing  that  if  any  objection  should  be  made  to 
counting  the  votes  returned  from  Missouri,  and  provided  these 
votes  should  not  make  any  difference  in  the  result,  the  Presi- 
dent should  declare  that  if  the  votes  of  Missouri  were  counted, 
the  number  of  votes  for  A.  B.  would  be  so  many,  and  if  the 
votes  of  Missouri  were  not  counted,  the  number  would  be  so 
many,  and  that  in  either  case  A.  B.  is  elected.  Upon  this  plan 
the  votes  for  James  Monroe,  including  the  vote  of  Missouri, 
were  two  hundred  and  thirty-one,  and  excluding  the  vote  of 
Missouri,  they  amounted  to  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight, 
The  vote  without  Missouri  being  such  a  decided  majority,  Mr. 
Monroe  was  declared  elected  President,  and  Mr.  Tompkins 
Vice-President. 

On  the  26th  of  February,  Mr.  Clay,  from  the  joint  committee 
appointed  on  the  Missouri  subject,  reported  a  resolution  favor- 
ing the  admission  of  Missouri  into  the  Union  on  an  equal  foot- 
ing with  the  original  States.  In  this  resolution  there  were 
certain  fundamental  conditions  which  gave  rise  to  much  dis- 
cussion, but  the  final  result  was  the  admission  of  Missouri. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  a  proclamation  was  issued  by  the 
President  promulgating  the  treaty  which  had  been  made  with 
Spain,  and  its  final  ratification  by  the  two  countries.  Two 
measures  of  great  public  interest  and  importance  were  thus  at 
about  the  same  period  brought  to  a  felicitous  termination. 

On  the  5th  of  March  Mr.  Monroe  took  the  oath  to  support  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  was  again  inaugurated 
as  President.  On  this  occasion  he  made  an  address  to  his  fel- 
low citizens  at  large,  and  laid  before  them  a  general  view  of 
the  policy  which  the  government  intended  to  pursue.  He  very 
properly  availed  himself  of  his  re-election  to  consider  it  as  the 
public  approbation  of  his  conduct  during  the  preceding  term. 
After  a  brief  notice  of  measures  for  fortification  and  defense, 
which  had  been  rendered  necessary  by  the  events  of  the  late 
war,  the  President  took  a  cursory  review  of  our  foreign  rela- 


JAMES    MONROE.  13' 

tions  and  the  state  of  the  national  revenue.  He  then  called 
attention  to  the  care  of  the  Indian  tribes  within  our  limits,  and 
took  occasion  to  object  to  our  treatment  of  them  as  independ- 
ent nations  without  their  having  any  substantial  pretension  to 
that  rank.  After  a  brief  reference  to  the  unsettled  condition 
of  Europe,  and  the  prospects  of  general  war  among  the  powers 
there,  he  cited  with  pride  the  condition  of  our  own  happy  and 
peaceful  country,  and  our  increasing  growth  and  prosperity, 
and  claimed  that  in  our  whole  system,  national  and  State,  we 
had  shunned  all  the  defects  which  unceasingly  preyed  upon 
and  destroyed  the  ancient  republics.  In  them  there  were  dis- 
tinct orders,  a  nobility  and  a  people,  or  the  people  governed  in 
one  assembly.  Thus  in  the  one  instance  there  was  a  perpetual 
conflict  between  the  orders  in  society  for  the  ascendancy,  in 
which  the  victory  of  either  terminated  in  the  overthrow  of  the 
government  and  the  ruin  of  the  State.  In  the  other,  in  which 
the  people  governed  in  a  body,  and  whose  dominions  seldom 
exceeded  the  dimensions  of  a  county  in  one  of  our  States,  a 
tumultous  and  disorderly  movement  permitted  only  a  transi- 
tory existence. 

On  the  3d  of  December  Congress  again  assembled,  and  on 
the  5th  the  President  transmitted  to  both  Houses  of  Congress 
the  annual  message.  It  was  quite  long  and  interesting,  pre- 
senting a  favorable  view  of  the  affairs  of  the  nation,  as  respected 
its  commerce,  manufactures  and  revenues.  It  stated  that  in 
pursuance  of  the  treaty  with  Spain,  possession  of  East  and 
West  Florida  had  been  given  to  the  United  States,  but  that  the 
archives  and  documents  relative  to  the  sovereignty  of  those 
provinces  had  not  been  delivered.  Mr.  Monroe  also  particu- 
larly mentioned  our  manufactures.  "It  cannot  be  doubted," 
said  he,  "that  the  more  complete  our  internal  resources  and 
the  less  dependent  we  are  on  foreign  powers  for  every  national 
as  well  as  domestic  purpose,  the  greater  and  more  stable  will 
be  the  public  felicity.  By  the  increase  of  domestic  manufac- 
tures will  the  demand  for  the  rude  materials  at  home  be  in- 
creased, and  thus  will  the  dependence  of  the  several  parts  of 
our  Union  on  each  other,  and  the  strength  of  the  Union  itself, 
be  proportionately  augmented." 


134  LIVES  OF  OUE  PRESIDENTS. 

On  the  21st  of  January  the  Committee  on  the  Judiciary 
reported  a  bill  for  establishing  a  uniform  system  of  bankruptcy, 
and  Mr.  Sergeant,  the  chairman  of  the  committee,  made  a 
speech  in  favor  of  the  bill.  This  was  followed  by  a  speech 
from  Mr.  Randolph,  who  desired  Congress  to  pass  a  law  impair- 
ing the  obligation  of  contracts,  whenever  made.  The  bill  was 
finally  rejected. 

On  the  26th  of  February  the  solemn  announcement  was  made 
to  the  Senate  and  House  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Pinckney,  the 
noble  patriot  and  able  diplomat  and  statesman,  who  had  done 
such  able  work  for  his  country.  Mr.  Lloyd,  of  Maryland,  the 
colleague  of  Mr.  Pinckney  in  the  Senate,  and  Mr.  Randolph, 
of  Virginia,  were  the  memorial  speakers  of  the  occasion. 

On  the  8th  of  March  President  Monroe  communicated  to 
Congress  a  message  in  which  he  recommended  the  recognition 
of  South  American  independence.  This  message  was  referred 
to  a  committee,  who  reported  unanimously  in  favor  of  the  pro- 
posed measure,  and  introduced  a  resolution  to  appropriate  a 
sum  to  enable  the  President  to  give  due  effect  to  such  recog- 
nition. The  Spanish  Minister  immediately  entered  a  protest 
against  the  recognition  of  the  insurgent  provinces  of  Spain,  and 
declared  the  intention  of  his  country  to  employ  every  means  to 
reunite  them  to  the  rest  of  her  dominions.  To  this  protest  the 
Secretary  of  State  replied  that  our  recognition  was  not  in- 
tended in  any  way  to  invalidate  the  rights  of  Spain,  but  was 
merely  the  acknowledgment  of  existing  facts. 

On  the  2d  of  December  Congress  again  assembled,  and  the 
President  submitted  his  message  which  contained  a  satisfactory 
exposition  of  the  affairs  of  the  Union,  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  On  the  subject  of  internal  improvement  and  manufac- 
tures the  President  observed :  "  Belie ving  that  a  competent 
power  to  adopt  and  execute  a  system  of  internal  improvement 
has  not  been  granted  to  Congress,  but  that  such  a  power  con- 
fined to  great  national  purposes,  and  with  proper  limitations, 
would  be  productive  of  eminent  advantage  to  our  Union,  I 
have  thought  it  advisable  that  an  amendment  to  the  Constitu- 
tion to  that  effect  should  be  recommended  to  the  several  States." 

On  the  1st  of  December  the  Eighteenth  Congress  commenced 


JAMES  MONROE.  i&5 

its  first  session.  In  his  message  the  President  spoke  in  animated 
terms  of  the  prosperous  condition  of  the  country,  and  of  the 
amicable  state  of  our  relations  with  foreign  countries. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  1824,  the  Eighteenth  Congress  closed  its 
first  session.  Among  the  most  important  bills  which  were 
passed  was  one  for  abolishing  imprisonment  for  debt ;  and 
a  second  establishing  a  tariff  of  duties  on  imports. 

During  the  succeeding  summer  the  President  had  the  pleasure 
of  once  more  meeting  with  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  who 
again  visited  our  country  and  the  scenes  of  his  early  military 
labors  as  our  friend  and  ally  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  second  session  of  the  Eighteenth  Congress  began  on  the 
6th  of  December,  1824,  and  closed  on  the  3d  of  the  following 
March,  at  which  time  the  administration  of  Mr.  Monroe  closed. 
During  his  occupation  of  the  Presidential  chair  the  country 
enjoyed  a  uniform  state  of  peace  and  prosperity.  By  his 
prudent  management  of  the  national  affairs,  both  foreign  and 
domestic,  he  eminently  contributed  to  the  peace  and  happiness 
of  millions,  and  retired  from  office  enjoying  the  respect,  aft'ec- 
tion  and  gratitude  of  all. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1825,  Mr.  Monroe  retired  to  his  residence 
in  Loudoun  County,  Virginia,  where  for  a  time  he  dicharged 
the  ordinary  judicial  functions  of  a  magistrate  of  the  county 
and  of  curator  of  the  University  of  Virginia.  In  the  winter  of 
1829  and  1830  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Convention  called 
to  revise  the  Constitution  of  Virginia,  over  which  body  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  president.  Severe  illness,  however,  soon 
compelled  him  to  retire.  The  succeeding  summer  he  was  visited/ 
by  a  great  bereavement  in  the  death  of  the  beloved  partner  of 
his  life.  Soon  after  this  deep  affliction  he  removed  his  residence 
to  New  York,  where,  surrounded  by  filial  solicitude  and  ten- 
derness, the  flickering  lamp  of  life  held  its  lingering  flame  as  if 
to  await  the  day  of  the  nation's  birth  and  glory,  when  the  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  the  statesman  of  the  confederacy  and  the 
chosen  chieftain  of  the  nation  passed  into  that  slumber  which 
has  no  awakening  on  earth,  and  yielded  his  pure  and  noble 
spirit  to  receive  the  sentence  of  his  Maker. 


JOHN    QUINCY    ADAMS. 


John  Quincy  Adams  was  descended  from  a  race  of  farmers, 
tradesmen  and  mechanics.  In  1630  his  remote  ancestor,  Henry 
Adams,  came  to  America  with  seven  sons,  and  established  him- 
self in  this  country.  Thus  early  rooted  in  the  soil,  a  warm 
attachment  to  the  cause  and  the  rights  of  America  has  been  from 
generation  to  generation  the  birthright  of  this  family. 

The  first  of  this  name  who  emerged  from  private  life  and  rose 
to  conspicuous  public  stations  were  Samuel  Adams,  the  pro- 
scribed patriot  of  the  Revolution,  and  John  Adams,  who  was 
pronounced  by  his  venerable  compatriot,  Thomas  Jefferson,  "The 
Colossus  of  Independence."  These  two  distinguished  benefac- 
tors of  their  country  were  descendants  of  the  same  remote  an- 
cestors. Samuel  Adams  died  without  male  issue.  John  Quincy 
Adams  was  a  son  of  John  Adams.  He  was  born  in  the  year 
1767,  and  was  named  for  John  Quincy,  his  great-grandfather, 
who  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  councils  of  the  province  at 
the  commencement  of  the  last  century. 

The  principles  of  American  independence  and  freedom  were 
instilled  into  the  mind  of  John  Quincy  Adams  in  the  very  dawn 
of  his  existence.  Both  of  his  revered  parents  had  entered  with 
every  power  and  faculty  into  the  cause  of  the  country.  "When 
John  Adams  repaired  to  France  as  joint  commissioner  with 
Franklin  and  Lee,  he  was  accompanied  by  his  son,  John  Quincy, 
then  in  his  eleventh  year,  where  he  enjoyed  the  enviable  privi- 
lege of  the  daily  intercourse  and  sage  attentions  of  Benjamin 
Franklin,  whose  primitive  simplicity  of  manners  and  methodi- 
cal habits  left  a  lasting  impression  on  the  mind  of  his  youthful 
countryman. 

After  remaining  in  France  about  eighteen  months  John 
Quincy  Adams  returned  to  America  with  his  father,  who  came 


1S3  LIVES  01?  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

home  to  take  part  in  the  formation  of  the  constitution  of  his 
native  State.  After  a  sojourn  of  a  few  months  at  home  the 
voice  of  the  country  called  on  John  Adams  again  to  repair  to 
Europe  as  a  commissioner,  and  taking  John  Quincy  with  him, 
upon  reaching  Paris  the  youth  was  put  to  school.  In  July  of 
the  same  year  Mr.  Adams  repaired  to  Holland  to  negotiate  a 
loan,  and  John  Quincy  was  there  placed  first  in  the  public 
school  of  the  city  of  Amsterdam  and  afterward  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Leyden.  In  July,  1781,  Mr.  Francis  Dana,  who  had  gone 
out  with  Mr.  Adams  as  Secretary  of  Legation,  received  from 
the  Continental  Congress  the  commission  of  Minister  to  the 
Empress  of  Russia,  and  John  Quincy  Adams  was  selected 
by  Mr.  Dana  as  a  private  secretary  of  this  mission.  After  re- 
maining fourteen  months  with  Mr.  Dana,  he  left  him  to  return 
to  his  father  in  Holland,  where  he  had  been  received  as  Minister 
from  the  United  States.  Young  Adams  reached  the  Hague  in 
April,  1783,  his  father  being  at  that  time  engaged  at  Paris  in 
the  negotiation  of  peace.  The  definite  treaty  of  peace  was 
signed  in  September,  1783,  from  which  time  until  May,  1785,  he 
was  chiefly  with  his  father  in  England,  Holland  and  France. 

Mr.  Adams  was  at  the  period  last  mentioned  about  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  had  led  a  life  of  wandering  and  vicissitude 
unusual  at  his  age.  Anxious  to  complete  his  education,  and 
still  more  anxious  to  return  to  his  native  America,  when  his 
father  in  1785  was  appointed  Minister  to  the  Court  of  St.  James, 
he  asked  permission  to  go  back  to  his  native  shores.  On  his 
return  to  America  he  became  a  student  of  the  ancient  seat  of 
learning  at  Cambridge. 

In  July,  1787,  Mr.  Adams  left  college  and  entered  the  office 
of  Theophilus  Parsons,  as  a  student  of  law,  at  Nswburyport. 
On  a  visit  of  General  Washington  to  that  town  in  i789,  Mr, 
Parsons  being  chosen  by  his  fellow-citizens  as  the  medium  of 
expressing  their  sentimen's  to  the  General,  called  upon  his 
pupils  each  to  prepare  an  address.  This  being  done,  the  ad- 
dress written  by  Mr.  Adams  was  delivered  by  Mr.  Parsons. 

After  completing  his  law  studies  at  Newburyport,  Mr.  Adams 
removed  to  the  capitol  of  Massachusetts,  with  a  view  of  em- 
ploying himself  in  the  practice  of  the  profession. 


JOHN^QmNCY  ADAMS.  139 

In  April,  1793,  on  the  first  information  that  war  between 
Great  Britain  and  France  had  been  declared,  Mr.  Adams  pub- 
lished a  short  series  of  papers  to  prove  that  the  duty  and  interest 
of  the  United  States  required  them  to  remain  neutral  in  the 
contest.  These  papers  were  published  before  General  Wash- 
ington's proclamation  of  neutrality,  and  their  opinions  were  in 
opposition  to  the  ideas  generally  prevailing;  Mr.  Adams  being 
first  to  express  his  views  to  the  public  on  this  new  and  difficult 
topic  of  national  law. 

In  the  winter  of  1793  and  1794  the  public  mind  was  agitated 
by  the  inflammatory  appeals  of  the  French  Minister  Genet. 
This  influence  was  resisted  by  the  powerful  and  skillful  official 
correspondence  of  the  then  Secretary  of  State,  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son. Among  those  who  co-operated  in  the  public  prints  in  the 
same  patriotic  cause,  none  was  more  conspicuous  than  Mr. 
Adams,  whose  essays  in  support  of  the  administration  were 
read  and  admired  throughout  the  country. 

His  reputation  was  now  established  as  an  American  states- 
man, patriot,  and  political  writer  of  the  first  order.  Before  his 
retirement  from  the  Department  of  State,  Mr.  Jefferson  recom- 
mended him  to  General  Washington  as  a  proper  person  to  be 
introduced  into  the  public  service  of  the  country.  General 
Washington's  own  notice  had  been  drawn  to  the  various  writ- 
ings of  Mr.  Adams.  Thus  honorably  identified  at  the  early  age 
of  twenty-seven  with  the  first  great  and  decisive  steps  of  the 
foreign  policy  of  the  United  States,  and  thus  early  attracting 
the  notice  and  enjoying  the  confidence  of  Washington  and 
Jefferson,  Mr.  Adams  was  in  1794  appointed  Minister  Resident 
to  the  Netherlands,  an  office  corresponding  in  rank  and  salary 
with  that  of  a  Charge  d' Affaires  at  the  present  day. 

Mr.  Adams  remained  at  his  post  in  Holland  until  near  the 
close  of  General  Washington's  administration.  One  of  the 
latest  acts  of  General  Washington's  administration  was  the 
appointment  of  Mr.  Adams  as  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to 
Portugal,  but  on  his  way  from  the  Hague  to  Lisbon  he  received 
a  new  commission,  changing  his  destination  to  Berlin.  This 
latter  appointment  was  made  by  Mr.  Adams'  father,  then 
President  of  the  United  States.  Although  Mr.  Adams'  appoint- 


140  LIVES  OF  OUR  PKESIDENTS. 

merit  to  Portugal  was  made  by  General  Washington,  and  Mr. 
Adams'  father  did  no  more  than  propose  his  transfer  to  Berlin, 
yet  feelings  of  delicacy  led  him  to  hesitate  before  he  even  took 
this  step.  He  consulted  General  Washington  on  the  subject, 
who,  in  reply,  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  Mr.  Adams  was  the 
most  valuable  public  character  we  had  abroad,  and  that  the 
President  should  not  withhold  the  merited  promotion  because 
of  the  relationship  existing  between  them. 

The  principal  object  of  Mr.  Adams'  mission  to  Berlin  was 
effected  by  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  of  commerce  with 
Russia.  During  the  last  year  of  his  residence  in  Germany,  Mr. 
Adams  visited  Silesia,  which  he  described  in  a  series  of  letters 
published  in  a  volume,  translated  in  French  and  German,  and 
extensively  circulated  in  Europe. 

Mr.  Adams'  residence  in  Europe,  from  1794  to  1801,  was  of 
great  importance  in  its  influence  upon  his  political  character 
and  feelings.  He  studied  the  causes  and  effects  of  the  great 
political  movements  which  were  taking  place,  and  was  better 
qualified  to  hold  an  impartial  and  truly  American  course 
between  the  violent  extremes  to  which  public  opinion  iu 
America  ran  on  the  great  question  of  our  foreign  relations  in 
the  war  between  France  and  England.  During  this  critical 
period  of  our  foreign  and  domestic  politics,  Mr.  John  Q.  Adams 
was  abroad  and  was  not  compelled  to  take  part  in  those  political 
contentions  which  must  have  either  placed  him  in  opposition 
to  his  father  or  have  obliged  him  to  encounter  the  natural 
imputation  of  being  biassed  in  support  of  him  by  filial  attach- 
ment, and  he  returned  to  his  native  land  a  stranger  to  local 
parties  but  a  friend  to  his  country. 

In  1802  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  Massachusetts 
from  the  district  of  Boston,  and  signalized  his  fearless  inde- 
pendence by  his  strong  though  ineffectual  opposition  to  a  power- 
ful combination  of  banking  interests,  of  which  the  centre  was 
placed  among  his  immediate  constitutents. 

In  1803  he  was  elected  a  Senator  of  the  United  States  for  six 
years.  His  conduct  in  the  Senate  was  such  as  might  have  been 
justly  expected  from  his  position.  He  had  neither  principles  to 
permit,  nor  passions  to  drive  him  into  indiscriminate  op- 


JOHN  QUIKCY  ADAMS.  141 

position  or  blind  support.  Especially  in  the  new  aspect 
which  the  political  world  was  assuming  in  consequence  of 
the  infraction  of  our  neutral  rights  and  violation  of 
the  sovereignty  of  our  flag  by  Great  Britain.  Mr. 
Adams  was  the  prompt  and  undeviating  supporter  of  the  honor 
of  his  country,  and  of  the  measures  adopted  by  the  administra- 
tion for  its  defense.  The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  disapprov- 
ing of  Mr.  Adams'  position,  elected  another  person  in  1808  as 
Senator  from  the  expiration  of  Mr.  Adams'  term;  and  not  choos- 
ing to  represent  constituents  who  had  lost  confidence  in  him, 
Mr.  Adams  immediately  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate.  The 
decided  support  of  a  man  like  Mr.  Adams  was  peculiarly  ac- 
ceptable to  the  administration  at  this  moment.  It  was  a 
support  given  in  the  darkest  days  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  adminis- 
tration. 

The  retirement  of  Mr.  Adams  from  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  did  not  abate  the  activity  of  his  uncommon  powers  for 
serving  his  fellow  men,  and  in  1806  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of 
rhetoric  and  oratory  in  the  seminary  where  he  received  his 
education,  and  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  on  '-The  Art  of 
Speaking  Well,"  the  most  important  art  to  the  youth  of  a  free 
country. 

But  his  country  had  higher  claims  upon  his  services,  and  in 
June,  1809,  he  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Madison  as  Minister  to 
Russia.  He  had  the  good  fortune  here  to  secure  the  confidence 
of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  who  was  delighted  with  the  contrast 
of  the  republican  simplicity  of  the  American  Minister  with  the 
splendor  of  the  foreign  Envoys.  This  circumstance  laid  the 
foundation  of  that  good- will  toward  America  that  has  continued 
to  this  day.  But  its  first  fruit  was  the  proffered  mediation  of 
Russia,  which  indirectly  led  to  peace  between  England  and  the 
United  States. 

It  was  for  this  reason  that  he  was  placed  by  Mr.  Madison  at 
the  head  of  the  commission  of  five  by  which  the  treaty  of  peace 
was  negotiated,  and  a  proportionate  share  of  the  credit  is  due 
to  him  for  that  cogency  and  skill  which  drew  from  the  Mar- 
quis of  Wellesley,  in  the  British  House  of  Lords,  the  declaration 
ttaat,  "in  his  opinion,  the  American  commission  had  shown 


142  LIVES  OF  OUR  PKESIDENTS, 

the  most  astonishing  superiority  over  the  British  during  the 
whole  of  the  correspondence." 

Having  borne  this  important  part  in  bringing  the  war  to  a 
close  by  an  honorable  peace,  Mr.  Adams  was  employed,  in  con- 
junction with  Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Gallatin,  in  negotiating  a  con- 
vention of  commerce  with  Great  Britain  on  the  basis  of  which 
our  commercial  intercourse  with  that  country  has  been  gince 
advantageously  conducted.  Having  been  appointed  our  Min- 
ister at  London  by  Mr.  Madison,  Mr.  Adams  remained  in  that 
place  until  the  accession  of  Mr.  Monroe  to  the  Presidential 
chair. 

In  reference  to  the  formation  of  his  Cabinet,  General  Jack- 
son advised  Mr.  Monroe  to  select  characters  most  conspicuous 
for  their  probity,  virtue,  capacity  and  firmness,  without  regard 
to  party.  Mr.  Monroe  felt  that  the  association  of  any  of  the 
Federal  party  in  the  administration  would  wound  the  feelings 
of  its  friends  to  the  injury  of  the  Republican  cause.  He  in- 
formed General  Jackson,  however,  in  a  letter,  of  his  intention 
to  select  Mr.  Adams  tor  the  Department  of  State,  and  in  reply 
General  Jackson  asserted  that  the  President  could  not  make  a 
better  selection,  and  that  Mr.  Adams  in  the  hour  of  difficulty 
would  be  an  able  helpmate.  There  seemed  to  be  something 
almost  prophetic  in  General  Jackson's  assertion,  for  it  was  not 
long  before  his  conduct  was  the  subject  of  solemn  investigation 
before  the  grand  inquest  of  the  nation.  The  letters  of  Mr. 
Adams  to  the  Spanish  Minister,  justifying  the  conduct  of  Gen- 
eral Jackson  against  the  complaints  of  Spain,  came  seasonably 
to  the  support  of  this  distinguished  citizen,  and  effected  the 
vindication  of  ^him  against  every  charge  of  a  violation  of  the 
rights  of  Spain. 

In  performing  the  arduous  duties  of  his  office  as  Secretary  of 
State,  Mr.  Adams  received,  as  General  Jackson  had  foretold 
that  he  would,  the  general  approbation  of  the  country.  In 
reference  to  all  questions  of  the  foreign  relations  of  the  country 
he  was  the  influential  member  of  the  Cabinet,  and,  more  than 
any  other  individual  composing  it,  was  entitled  to  the  credit  of 
the  measures  which,  during  Mr.  Monroe's  administration,  were 
adopted  in  reference  to  the  foreign  policy  of  the  Government. 


JOHN  QUINCY   ADAMS.  143 

Among  these  were  the  recognition  of  the  new  republics  of 
South  America  and  the  successful  termination  of  our  differ- 
ences with  Spain,  after  a  controversy  of  thirty  years,  which  had 
resisted,  the  skill  of  every  preceding  administration. 

On  every  important  occasion  and  question  that  arose  the 
voice  of  Mr.  Adams  was  for  his  country,  for  mild  counsels  and 
for  union.  In  the  agitation  of  the  Missouri  question  his  influ- 
ence was  exerted  for  conciliation.  He  believed  that  by  the 
Constitution  and  the  treaty  of  the  session  of  1803  Congress  was 
barred  from  adopting  the  proposed  restrictions  on  the  admis- 
sion of  Missouri.  He  was  the  friend  of  all  internal  improve- 
ments, and  to  the  protection  of  American  manufactures. 

Such  were  his  claims  to  the  last  and  highest  gift  which  the 
people  can  bestow  on  a  long-tried,  faithful  servant.  Various 
circumstances  conspired  to  strengthen  them  in  the  Presidential 
canvass  for  the  term  beginning  in  1825.  In  consequence  of  the 
number  of  candidates,  no  choice  by  the  people  was  effected, 
no  candidate  approaching  nearer  than  within  thirty  votes  of 
a  majority.  The  three  persons  who  received  the  highest  num- 
ber of  votes  for  the  Presidency  were  Andrew  Jackson,  John 
Quincy  Adams  and  William  H.  Crawford.  For  the  Vice- 
Presidency,  John  C.  Calhoun  received  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  votes,  and  was  consequently  elected.  The  choice  of  the 
President,  according  to  Constitutional  provisions,  fejl  upon  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and,  contrary  to  all  expectations,  an 
election  was  effected  at  the  first  balloting,  Mr.  Adams  having 
received  the  votes  of  thirteen  States,  General  Jackson  the  votes 
of  seven  States,  and  Mr.  Crawford  the  votes  of  four  States. 
The  result  of  the  election  created  great  surprise,  and  in  many 
quarters  great  indignation.  The  cry  of  corruption  and  intrigue 
was  raised  on  all  sides,  and  it  was  asserted  that  Mr.  Clay  had 
sold  the  vote  of  Kentucky  for  the  promise  of  place. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1825,  Mr.  Adams  was  inaugurated  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States  ;  and  being  introduced  into  the 
Capitol,  he  rose  and  read  M'S  inaugural  address,  in  which, 
with  patriotic  solemnity  and  pride,  he  spoke  of  the  great 
work  of  our  forefathers  and  the  mighty  changes  and  progress 
which  had  taken  place  in  our  country,  and  gave  a  brief  out- 


144  I.IVKS   OK   oru    PRESIDENTS. 

line  of  his  administrative  policy,  which,  like  that  of  his  prede- 
cessor, should  be  :  "To  cherish  peace  while  preparing  for 
defensive  war  ;  to  yield  exact  justice  to  other  nations  and  main- 
tain the  rights  of  our  own  ;  to  cherish  the  principles  of  freedom 
and  of  equal  rights  wherever  they  are  proclaimed  ;  to  discharge 
with  all  possible  promptitude  the  national  debt ;  to  reduce 
within  the  narrowest  limits  of  efficiency  the  military  force  ;  to 
improve  the  organization  and  discipline  of  the  army  ;  to  provide 
and  sustain  a  school  of  military  science  ;  to  extend  equal  pro- 
tection to  all  the  great  interests  of  the  nation ;  to  promote  the 
civilization  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  to  proceed  in  the  great 
system  of  internal  improvements  within  the  limits  of  the  Con- 
stitution and  power  of  the  Union." 

The  vacancies  which  were  made  in  the  Cabinet  by  the  elec- 
tion of  the  Secretaries  of  State  and  of  War  to  the  Presidency 
and  Vice-Presidency,  and  by  the  retirement  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  rendered  it  expedient  to  convene  the  Senate  im- 
mediately after  the  dissolution  of  the  Eighteenth  Congress. 
On  the  4th  of  March,  the  same  day  1  he  President  was  inaug- 
urated, the  members  assembled  and  the  Vice-President  took 
the  chair  and  addressed  the  Senate  upon  the  importance  of  its 
duties  and  the  immediate  dependence  of  all  the  other  depart- 
ments of  the  government  upon  that  body. 

Aftei  acting  upon  the  credentials  of  new  members,  the 
Senate  then  went  into  the  consideration  of  executive  business, 
and  confirmed  the  nominations  made  by  tlje  President  for  the 
several  departments.  Henry  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  State  ;  Eichard  Rush,  of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  and  James  Barbour,  of  Virginia,  Secratary  of 
War. 

To  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Clay  a  warm  opposition  was  made 
by  a  few  Senators,  and  little  doubt  was  left  that  the  new 
administration  was  destined  to  meet  with  a  systematic  and 
organized  opposition  ;  and  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  next 
Congress  the  grounds  of  the  opposition  were  set  forth  at  public 
meetings.  The  principal  reasons  of  hostility  to  Mr.  Adams 
were  the  assertion  that  his  election  was  the  result  of  a  bargain 
between  him  and  Mr.  Clay,  and  his  selection  of  Mr.  Clay  as 


JOHN   VCINCY   ADAMK.  143 

Secretary  of  State  was  relied  upon  as  conclusive  proof  of  the 
bargain  ;  and  also  that  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  against  the  ex- 
pressed will  of  the  people,  and  that  Congress,  by  not  taking 
General  Jackson,  the  candidate  having  the  highest  number  of 
votes,  had  violated  the  Constitution  and  disobeyed  their  con- 
stituents. Mr.  Clay's  defendants  declared  that,  as  a  represent- 
ative, he  was  obliged  to  decide  between  three  candidates  for 
the  Presidency,  and  that  his  vote  was  in  accordance  with  all 
his  previous  declarations. 

During  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Adams'  administration  a 
controversy  arose  between  the  national  government  and  the 
executive  of  Georgia.  This  controversy  grew  out  of  a  compact 
iiiude  between  these  parties  in  1802,  by  which  the  United  States 
agreed  to  extinguish  the  Indian  title  to  the  lands  occupied  by 
them  in  Georgia,  ' '  whenever  it  could  be  peaceably  done  on 
reasonable  terms."  The  consideration  of  this  compact  was  the 
relinquishment  by  Georgia  of  her  claim  to  the  Mississippi 
Territory.  There  still  remained  in  Georgia  over  five  millions 
of  acres  in  the  possession  of  the  Cherokee",  and  over  four  mill- 
ions held  by  the  Creek  nation.  During  Mr.  Monroe's  adminis- 
tration great  effort  was  made  to  induce  the  Indians  to  dispose 
of  their  lands  and  remove  from  Georgia,  but  the  Creek  nation 
had  been  enjoying  the  comforts  and  security  of  civilization, 
and  were  unwilling  to  leave  them.  After  much  trouble  between 
Georgia  and  the  Indians,  a  negotiation  was  opened  between  the 
Indian  tribes  and  the  national  government,  which  resulted  in 
annulling  the  old  treaty  and  the  formation  of  a  new  one,  by 
which  the  Creeks  were  allowed  to  retain  all  their  lands  in  Ala- 
bama, and  ceded  all  their  lands  in  Georgia  for  a  more  liberal 
compensation  than  had  been  before  stipulated,  but  the  Georgia 
delegation  and  the  enemies  of  the  administration  made  a  fruit- 
less opposition  to  its  ratification. 

The  administration  of  Mr.  Adams  was  also  successful  in 
making  an  amicable  settlement  with  the  Indians  of  the  North- 
western States  and  Territories,  and  hostilities  that  had  raged 
for  nearly  half  a  century  almost  without  cessation  were  thus 
happily  terminated. 

In  September,  1825,  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  whose  course 


146  LIVES    Otf  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

through  the  United  States  had  been  a  continuous  series  of  festi- 
vals and  celebrations,  took  leave  of  our  people  to  return  home. 
It  was  thought  proper  that  his  final  departure  from  the  coun- 
try should  take  place  from  the  Capitol,  and  a  frigate  was  accord- 
ingly provided,  and  named  in  his  honor  the  Brandywine,  to 
transport  him  to  his  native  country.  On  the  invitation  of  Mr. 
Adams,  he  passed  a  few  weeks  at  the  Presidential  mantion, 
receiving  and  taking  leave  of  the  distinguished  men  who  had 
been  associated  with  him  in  the  struggles  of  the  Revolution. 
On  the  7th  of  September  his  departure  took  place  with  cere- 
monies that  were  touching  and  sublime,  and  Mr.  Adams  de- 
livered an  address  that  was  a  most  appropriate  tribute  to  the 
parting  guest. 

The  first  session  of  the  Nineteenth  Congress  opened  on  the 
5th  of  December,  1825,  and  on  the  next  day  the  President  trans- 
mitted his  message  to  Congress  by  his  private  secretary.  The 
document  presented  a  brief  and  simple  examination  of  our 
domestic  and  foreign  affairs,  and  called  the  attention  of  Con- 
gress to  many  important  matters,  including  the  claims  of 
our  merchants  upon  various  European  powers,  and  still  more 
earnestly  the  claims  of  the  few  survivor  of  our  Revolutionary 
army  upon  their  country  for  relief  and  support. 

During  the  session  of  Congress  a  proposed  amendment  to  the 
Constitution  was  offered,  providing  for  a  uniform  mode  of  elect- 
ing the  President  and  Vice-President  by  districts,  and  to  prevent 
the  election  from  devolving  upon  Congress.  A  resolution  pro- 
viding for  the  same  object,  by  a  direct  vote  of  the  people  in  dis- 
tricts, was  brought  forward  at  about  the  same  time  in  the  Sen- 
ate by  Mr.  Benton,  of  Missouri,  but  both  of  these  proposed 
amendments  were  rejected. 

Another  subject  which  occupied  much  -of  the  attention  of 
Congress,  was  the  acceptance  by  the  President  of  the  invitation 
to  send  commissioners  to  the  Congress  of  Panama.  The  nomi- 
nations made  by  the  President  were  at  length  confirmed  by  the 
Senate,  and  the  necessary  appropriations  made  by  the  House, 
not,  however,  without  a  long  and  angry  debate,  in  which  many 
reflection"1  were  cast  upon  the  President  on  account,  as  it  was 
deemed,  of  his  hasty  acceptance  of  the  above  invitation. 


JOHN  QtTlKCT  ADAMS.  147 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1826,  Congress  closed  its  session,  in 
which,  excepting  the  sanction  given  to  the  Panama  mission, 
nothing  of  great  public  interest  was  accomplished. 

The  opposition  to  the  administration  of  Mr.  Adams  gained 
strength  and  development,  and  numerous  parties  combined  for 
its  support  or  overthrow  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  A 
resolution  was  expressed  in  some  quarters  to  put  down  the  ad- 
ministration at  every  hazard,  no  matter  what  might  be  its 
policy,  its  integrity  or  its  success.  The  cry  of  corruption  was 
re-echoed  by  office-seekers  and  the  more  desperate  portion  of 
the  oppositionists,  until  it  began  to  gain  currency  with  the  pub- 
lic, and  proved  sufficient  to  secure  the  downfall  of  the  adminis- 
tration against  which  it  was  raised.  The  Panama  mission, 
charges  of  extravagance,  the  President's  assertion  of  his  consti- 
tutional authority  to  appoint  diplomatic  agents  during  the  vaca- 
tion of  Congress,  were  all  fruitful  subjects  of  clamor  and  oppo- 
sition. 

In  conformity  with  the  views  of  the  opposition,  a  nomination 
for  the  next  Presidency  was  immediately  made,  and  in  Octo- 
ber, 1825,  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee  recommended  General 
Jackson  to  the  suffrages  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  for 
the  highest  office  in  their  gift.  This  nomination  he  formally  ac- 
cepted, and  in  an  address  before  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
intimated  his  dissatisfaction  at  the  result  of  the  late  Presidential 
election  on  the  ground  of  its  corrupt  origin.  These  charges 
were  diffused  with  an  industry  and  zeal  paralleled  only  by  their 
baseness. 

At  length  the  charge  of  corruption  was  brought  from  a  re- 
sponsible quarter,  and  an  investigation  ensued  which  resulted 
in  the  complete  acquittal  of  the  parties  accused.  Directly  after 
the  adjournment  of  the  Eighteenth  Congress  a  letter  appeared 
purporting  to  relate  a  conversation  with  General  Jackson  as  to 
a  proposition  made  to  him  by  Mr.  Clay's  friends  to  secure  his 
election  to  the  Presidency,  on  condition  that  Mr.  Adams  should 
not  be  continued  as  Secretary  of  State.  General  Jackson  dis- 
claimed any  charge  against  Mr.  Clay.  Testimony  was  now  pro- 
duced by  Mr.  Clay  and  his  friends  which  completely  refuted  the 
charge  of  bargain  and  hurled  it  with  scorn  in  the  teeth  of  his 


148  tlTES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

enemies.  But  the  accusation  had  been  made  to  answer  the  pur 
pose  for  which  it  was  framed,  and  the  opposition  to  the  ad- 
ministration had  found  a  permanent  basis  to  build  upon. 

But  however  the  efforts  of  the  opposition  might  embarrass 
the  movements  of  the  administration,  they  could  not  retard  the 
rapid  progress  of  the  country  in  wealth  and  prosperity  under 
the  wise  policy  of  Mr.  Adams.  The  great  works  of  internal 
improvements  were  prosecuted  with  spirit  and  vigor.  Routes 
for  roads  and  canals  were  surveyed,  the  navigation  of  rivers 
improved,  lighthouses  and  piers  were  built,  and  obstructions 
from  bays  and  harbors  removed. 

Congress  having  adjourned  without  passing  any  law  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  tho  restrictive  measures  of  the  British  Gov- 
ernment in  respect  to  the  colonial  trade,  the  President  issued  a 
proclamation  dated  March  17,  closing  the  ports  of  the  United 
States  against  vessels  from  the  British  colonies,  which  had  been 
opened  by  the  act  of  1822.  By  this  act  the  British  restrictions 
were  completely  reciprocated  and  the  President  was  sustained 
in  it  by  public  opinion. 

The  second  session  of  the  Nineteenth  Congress  commenced  on 
the  4th  of  December,  1826,  and  the  message  of  the  President 
ably  mentioned  all  important  matters  and  events. 

The  Creek  controversy,  which  should  have  been  happily  set- 
tled by  the  treaty  of  April  22,  again  loomed  up.  The  Gov- 
ernor of  Georgia  ordered  the  surveyors  employed  by  him  to  begin 
the  survey  of  the  Indian  lands,  previous  to  the  time  prescribed 
by  the  treaty  for  the  removal.  This  the  Indians  resisted, 
and  the  Governor  ordered  out  a  force  of  militia.  In  this 
posture  of  affairs  the  President  determined  to  support  the  laws 
of  the  Union  by  the  authority  which  the  Constitution  had  placed 
in  his  hands,  previously  submitting  the  affair  to  Congress  in  a 
message,  in  which  he  gave  a  plain  statement  of  the  facts,  and 
declared  his  determination  to  enforce  the  laws  and  fulfill  the 
duties  of  the  nation  by  all  the  force  committed  for  that  purpose 
to  his  charge. 

Great  excitement  was  displayed  in  both  houses  on  the 
receipt  of  this  message.  Congress  sustained  the  President  in 
his  position,  and  his  firmness  brought  the  Governor  of  Georgia 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS.  149 

to  reason,  and  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  delegation  of  that 
State  afc  Washington,  submitting  to  the  decision  of  Congress. 

Space  does  not  permit  of  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  vari- 
ous measures  of  Mr.  Adams'  administration.  During  the  whole 
of  it  the  United  States  enjoyed  uninterrupted  peace  ;  for  the 
foreign  policy  of  the  government  had  nothing  in  view  but  the 
maintenance  of  our  national  dignity,  the  extension  of  our  com- 
mercial relations  and  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  claims 
of  American  citizens  upon  foreign  governments. 

In  the  condition  which  \ve  have  described,  at  peace  with  all 
the  world,  with  an  increasing  revenue  and  with  a  large  surplus 
in  the  Treasury,  the  administration  of  the  government  of  the 
United  States  was  surrendered  by  Mr.  Adams  to  General  Jack- 
son, bis  successor. 

Thus  ended  the  administration  of  Mr.  Adams,  an  administra- 
tion marked  by  definite  and  consistent  policy,  and  energetic 
councils,  governed  by  upright  motives,  but  from  the  beginning 
the  object  of  the  most  violent  opposition,  resulting  in  a  signal 
overthrow.  The  election  which  terminated  in  the  defeat  of 
Mr.  Adams,  was  marked  with  extreme  bitterness,  asperity  and 
profligacy.  On  both  sides  the  pjess  was  virulent,  libelous  and 
mean.  The  brave  soldier  was  described  as  a  malignant  savage, 
and  the  experienced  statesman  as  a  man  who  had  purchased  by 
intrigue  that  which  he  was  determined  to  hold  by  corruption. 

After  returning  to  his  home  Mr.  Adams  still  took  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  represented  his  native  district  in 
Congress,  where  until  his  death  he  took  the  firm  and  able  stand 
to  which  his  eminent  talents  and  distinguished  services  fully 
entitled  him.  During  the  last  days  of  his  public  services  he 
had  grown  very  feeble  and  infirm,  and  during  the  session  of 
February,  1848,  while  making  a  speech  in  Congress,  he  was 
attacked  by  fatal  illness,  and  without  being  removed  from  the 
Capitol  he  quietly  breathed  his  last,  and  ended  one  of  the 
noblest,  ablest  and  most  patriotic  lives  ever  devoted  to  any 
country. 


ANDREW    JACKSON. 


Andrew  Jackson,  that  rough  and  rugged  representative 
American,  was  born  on  the  15th  of  March,  1767.  His  father 
was  an  Irishman,  who  landed  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
in  1765,  and  settled  at  Waxaw,  where  the  subject  of  our  narra- 
tive was  born.  Soon  after  his  birth  his  father  died,  leaving 
three  sons  to  be  provided  for  by  their  mother.  She  appears  to 
have  discharged  the  duties  in  an  exemplary  manner,  and 
Andrew,  whom  she  intended  for  the  ministry,  was  sent  to 
school,  where  he  continued  until  (he  war  of  the  Revolution 
interrupted  his  studies. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  Andrew  Jackson  and  his  brother, 
Robert,  entered  the  American  camp  in  the  service  of  their  coun- 
try. Even  at  this  early  age  the  unyielding  and  independent 
obstinacy  of  his  character  was  developed.  In  an  attack  of  the 
British  on  Waxaw  eleven  Americans  had  been  taken  prisoners, 
and  among  them  were  the  two  Jacksons.  The  evening  after 
their  capture  Andrew  was  accosted  by  a  British  officer,  who 
ordered  him  in  an  imperious  tone  to  clean  his  boots.  This  order 
he  scornfully  refused  to  obey,  alleging  that  he  expected  only 
such  treatment  as  was  due  to  a  prisoner  of  wax.  Incensed  at 
bis  reply,  the  officer  aimed  a  blow  at  his  head  with  a  drawn 
sword,  which  the  boy  parried  by  throwing  up  his  left  hand,  not, 
however,  without  receiving  a  wound,  of  which  the  scar  re- 
mained until  his  death.  His  brother,  for  a  similar  cause, 
received  a  deep  and  dangerous  cut  on  the  head.  The  brothers 
were  conveyed  to  jail,  where  their  wounds  were  wholly 
neglected.  That  of  Andrew  was  slight,  but  his  brother's  brought 
on  an  inflammation  of  the  brain  which,  a  few  days  after  his 
liberation,  ended  in  death.  They  were  soon  exchanged  and 
returned  to  their  mother,  who  died  shortly  after  her  son. 


152  LIVES   OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Andrew  Jackson  was  thus  left  alone  in  the  world,  afflicted  with 
disease  brought  on  by  the  hardships  he  had  undergone,  and  with 
the  small-pox,  which  broke  out  on  him  at  the  same  time. 

On  his  recovery  he  injudiciously  began  to  squander  his  estate, 
but  at  length,  foreseeing  the  consequences  of  his  extravagance, 
he  betook  himself  to  a  regular  course  of  study,  acquiring  some 
knowledge  of  classics  and  continuing  his  literary  pursuits  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  commenced  the  study  of 
law  in  1784,  at  Salisbury,  in  North  Carolina.  At  the  end  of 
two  years  he  obtained  a  license  from  the  Judges  to  practice 
law. 

After  remaining  in  the  State  until  1788,  he  decided  that  that 
locality  presented  few  inducements  to  a  young  attorney.  The 
western  part  of  Tennessee  about  this  time  offered  alluring 
prospects  to  young  adventurers,  and  there  we  find  Jackson  soon 
after  his  departure  from  North  Carolina.  He  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Nashville.  There  was  but  one  lawyer  in  the  county, 
and  the  knavish  part  of  the  community  had  so  contrived  as 
to  retain  him  in  their  interest ;  many  merchants  thereby  being 
deprived  of  the  means  of  enforcing  payment  of  their  honest 
dues. 

Jackson's  advent  was  hailed  with  delight,  and  the  morning 
after  he  arrived  he  issued  seventy  writs.  His  presence  soon 
became  a  terror  to  the  debtors  in  the  place.  Soon  afterward  he 
was  appointed  Attorney-General  for  the  district.  At  this  time 
Indian  depredations  were  frequent  on  the  Cumberland,  and 
Jackson  was  accustomed  to  aid  actively  in  garrisoning  the  forts 
and  in  pursuing  and  chastising  the  savages.  In  1796  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  convention  for  framing  a  Constitution 
for  the  State.  He  was  the  same  year  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  Congress  for  the  State  of  Tennes- 
see. In  Tennessee  his  popularity  continued  to  increase,  and  in 
1797  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate.  Soon  after 
taking  his  seat  he  asked  leave  to  return  home  on  private  busi- 
ness, and  before  the  next  session  he  resigned  his  seat,  being  at 
that  time  little  more  than  thirty  years  of  age. 

On  his  return  to  Tennessee  he  was  appointed  major  general 
pf  the  State  militia,  which  commission  he  held  until  the  year 


ANDREW    JACKSON.  153 

1814.  Soon  after  his  resignation  of  his  seat  in  the  Senate  he 
was  appointed  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State. 

Congress,  by  the  acts  of  February  and  July,  1812,  authorized 
the  President  to  accept  the  services  of  fifty  thousand  volun- 
teers. Subject  to  this  order  General  Jackson  raised  twenty- 
five  hundred  men,  and  after  being  duly  authorized  under  his 
command  and  armed  and  equipped  for  war,  he  assembled  them 
at  Nashville,  and  they  descended  the  Mississippi  to  Natchez. 
But  as  there  was  no  appearance  of  war  in  the  Southwest  their 
services  were  not  needed,  and  General  Jackson  received  an  or- 
der from  the  Secretary  of  War  to  disband  his  troops  and  de- 
liver the  public  property  in  his  possession  to  General  Wilkin- 
son. This  order  General  Jackson  believed  it  proper  to  disobey, 
and  in  spite  of  all  opposition  he  marched  his  troops  homeward 
through  the  forests,  sharing  their  hardships  and  setting  them 
an  example  of  untiring  patience  and  perseverance.  At  the 
close  of  his  march  he  disbanded  his  men,  who  returned  to  their 
homes.  In  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  he  explained  that 
had  he  dismissed  his  forces  on  receiving  the  order,  the  sick 
would  have  suffered  and  many  would  have  been  compelled  by 
want  to  enlist  in  the  regular  service.  His  sensible  conduct  was 
approved,  and  the  expenses  incurred  were  paid  by  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

Peaceful  repose  in  the  Southwest,  however,  was  not  of  long 
duration.  The  Creek  Indians  were  manifesting  strong  symp- 
toms of  hostility  toward  the  United  States.  This  disposition 
was  strengthened  through  means  used  by  the  Northern  Indians, 
who  were  then  making  preparations  fora  war  against  the  United 
States,  and  Tecumseh  was  despatched  to  the  Southern  Indians 
to  kindle  in  them  the  same  spirit,  and  frequent  depredations 
were  committed  on  the  border  settlers.  By  one  of  the  incur- 
sions in  the  summer  of  1812,  several  families  had  been  mur- 
dered in  a  shocking  manner  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  and 
shortly  after  another  party,  entering  the  limits  of  Tennessee, 
had  butchered  two  families  of  women  and  children.  Soon 
after  this  the  Indians  proceeded  to  make  an  attack  on  Fort 
Minims,  in  the  territory  of  Mississippi.  This  fort  contained  at 
that  time  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  besides  a  consider- 


154  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

able  number  of  women  and  children,  who  had  fled  there  for  pro- 
tection. The  Indians  carried  it  by  assault.  The  slaughter  was 
indiscriminate.  Nearly  three  hundred  persons,  including 
women  and  children,  were  put  to  death  with  the  most  savage 
barbarity.  But  seventeen  of  the  whole  number  in  the  fort 
escaped  to  tell  of  the  dreadful  catastrophe. 

Great  excitement  was  produced  in  Tennessee  by  the  news  of 
this  outrage,  and  the  citizens,  after  consultation  with  the  Gov- 
ernor and  General  Jackson,  proposed  to  march  at  once  into  the 
heart  of  the  Creek  nation,  and  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
authorized  the  Executive  to  call  into  the  field  three  thousand 
five  hundred  of  the  militia.  By  order  of  the  Governor,  General 
Jackson,  though  suffering  from  a  fractured  arm,  called  out  two 
thousand  of  the  volunteers  and  militia  of  his  division.  To  this 
force  was  joined  five  hundred  horsemen  under  Colonel  Coffee, 
to  which  were  to  be  added  all  the  mounted  riflemen  that  he 
could  gather,  and  preparations  were  made  for  a  vigorous  cam- 
paign. The  soldiers  went  at  once  into  camp. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  General  Jackson  joined  his  division 
and  learned  that  the  Creeks  had  detached  up  ward  of  eight  hun- 
dred of  their  warriors  to  fall  upon  the  frontier  of  Georgia, 
while  the  remainder  of  their  force  were  marching  on  Hunts- 
ville.  On  the  9th,  therefore,  he  set  his  army  in  motion  and 
reached  Huntsville  that  day  by  a  forced  march,  forming  a 
junction  the  next  day  with  Colonel  Coffee's  regiment  on  th<> 
Tennessee  River.  Here  they  rested  while  scouts  were  sent  to 
reconnoitre  the  Black  Warrior  River,  on  which  were  several 
Creek  villages.  While  thus  waiting  a  messenger  arrived  from 
Chinnaby,  a  chief  of  the  friendly  Creeks.  He  brought  intelli- 
gence that  Chinnaby's  camp  was  threatened  by  the  enemy  and 
solicited  aid.  This  induced  General  Jackson  to  move  toward 
Chinnaby's  camp.  Near  Ten  Islands  he  was  met  by  the  chief, 
who  informed  him  that  he  was  within  sixteen  miles  of  the  hos- 
tile Creeks,  who  were  assembled  to  the  number  of  a  thousand 
to  oppose  his  march.  Colonel  Dyer  was  then  sent  forward  to 
attack  the  village  of  Littafutchee,  on  the  Coosa,  which  he  suc- 
cessfully accomplished,  having  burned  the  village  and  brought 
back  a  number  of  prisoners.  The  scouting  parties  now  began 


ANDREW    JACKSON.  155 

to  bring  in  prisoners  and  cattle  and  corn  taken  from  the  enemy, 
and  reported  that  Chinnaby's  statement  was  unfounded. 

The  first  week  in  November  information  was  received  that  a 
body  of  the  Muscogee  warriors  had  taken  a  position  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Tallushatches,  and  Colonel  Coffee  was  sent  to  attack 
them  with  nine  hundred  mounted  men,  who,  after  a  feint  to 
draw  out  the  swages,  charged  them,  and  after  a  mosf  desperate 
fight  the  Tennesseeans  revenged  the  slaughter  of  Fort  Mimms 
by  slaying  all  the  men  and  some  women  and  children.  Not  one 
of  the  savages  escaped.  Over  one  hundred  and  eighty  were 
killed,  and  eighty-four  women  and  children  were  taken  alive. 
Of  the  whites,  only  five  were  killed  and  forty-one  wounded. 

On  the  evening  of  the  7th  a  messenger  arrived  from  Talladega, 
a  fort  of  the  friendly  Indians,  thirty  miles  below,  with  informa- 
tion that  the  enemy  had  encamped  before  ic,  and  would  destroy 
it  unless  assistance  should  be  immediately  rendered.  Jackson 
at  once  marched  to  their  assistance  with  all  his  available 
force,  amounting  to  twelve  hundred  infantry  and  eight 
hundred  mounted  men.  Crossing  the  river  that  night,  the 
army  marched  with  unabated  ardor,  and  by  the  next 
evening  were  within  six  miles  of  the  enemy.  At  four 
in  the  morning  the  army  moved  in  order  of  battle.  By 
seven  o'clock,  they  were  within  a  mile  of  the  enemy,  and 
after  drawing  the  Indians  from  their  cover,  who,  rushing  tom- 
ahawk in  hand  upon  the  advance  guard,  drove  them  back  and 
fell  furiously  on  the  left  wing,  General  Jackson,  rallying  the 
companies  which  had  fallen  into  disorder,  checked  the  advance 
of  the  savages.  The  line  now  delivered  an  unbroken  fire,  and 
in  fifteen  minutes  the  Creeks  gave  way  at  all  points  and  fled. 
The  cavalry  pursued  them  for  three  miles  and  made  great 
slaughter.  In  this  battle,  a  thousand  and  eighty  of  the  Creeks 
were  engaged,  of  whom  about  six  hundred  were  slain.  The 
loss  of  the  whites  was  fifteen  killed  and  nearly  one  hun- 
dred wounded.  Thus  were  the  friendly  Indians  at  Talla- 
dega relieved,  and  the  hostile  Creeks  terribly  punished. 

After  this,  the  army  suffered  terribly  for  food,  owing  to  the 
failure  of  the  commissary  stores  to  reach  them,  until  Jackson 
himself  was  even  reduced  to  a  diet  of  acorns,  and  mutiny 


156  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

broke  out  in  the  camp,  which  was  only  suppressed  through  the 
greatest  firmness  of  the  commander. 

About  the  22d  of  November,  a  deputation  arrived  from  the 
Creek  tribes,  called  Hillabees,  to  sue  for  peace.  They  had  suf- 
fered severely  at  Talladega  and  were  ready  to  submit  to  any 
terms.  General  Jackson  replied  that  they  must  restore  the 
prisoners  and  property  they  had  taken,  whether  from  the 
whites  or  the  friendly  Creeks,  and  surrender  the  persons 
concerned  in  the  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms.  With  this  answer 
the  Hillabee  ambassadors  returned  to  their  villages  on  the 
24th  of  the  month.  But  that  very  night  the  Hillabees  were 
attacked  in  their  huts  by  the  Tennessee  militia,  under  General 
White.  Sixty  of  them  were  killed,  upward  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  were  made  prisoners,  and  their  villages  were  utterly 
destroyed.  The  officers  of  the  Eastern  division  were  jealous  of 
General  Jackson's  popularity  and  had  refused  to  co-operate 
with  him.  The  Hillabees,  believing  that  they  had  been  attacked 
by  General  Jackson  after  their  overtures  of  peace,  waged  a  war 
of  extermination  from  that  time  until  the  cessation  of  hostili- 
ties. 

General  Jackson  about  this  lime  was  called  upon  to  exercise 
the  greatest  firmness  and  bravery  in  preventing  the  troops  from 
marching  home.  On  a  number  of  occasions  he  stood  before 
revolted  troops  with  his  cocked  pistol,  and  by  the  threat  of 
shooting  the  first  man  who  moved,  prevented  the  success  of  sev- 
eral mutinies. 

In  the  meantime  the  Muscogees  were  sustaining  great  reverses. 
On  the  4th  of  December  they  were  defeated  by  the  Georgia 
militia  at  Autossee,  on  the  Tallapoosa  River,  where  upward  of 
two  hundred  of  the  savage  warriors  were  slain  and  two  villages 
destroyed.  General  Claiborne  also  destroyed  the  town  of  Ec- 
cancacha,  and  routed  its  defenders  with  loss,  on  the  1st  of  Jan- 
uary, 1814. 

On  the  13th  of  January  eight  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  newly- 
raised  Tennessee  volunteers  arrived  at  Fort  Strother.  They  were 
organized  in  two  mounted  regiments,  and  two  days  after  took 
up  the  line  of  march  for  Talladega,  followed  by  General  Jack- 
sou  with  bis  staff,  an  artillery  company,  three  companies  of  in- 


JACKSOti.  157 

f'antry  and  a  company  of  volunteer  officers,  making  about  one 
thousand  troops  in  all.  At  Talladega  they  were  joined  by  two 
or  three  hundred  friendly  Creeks  and  Cherokees.  With  this 
force  Jackson  marched  to  the  Emuckfaw  River,  where  a  large 
body  of  the  enemy  had  collected. 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning,  the  Creek  warriors  drove  in 
the  sentinels  and  vigorously  charged  the  left  flank.  The  as- 
sault was  fiercely  given,  but  when  light  broke,  a  general  charge 
forced  the  Muscogees  at  every  point,  and  in  the  pursuit  the 
slaughter  was  considerable. 

The  next  day  the  army  commenced  ics  return  to  Fort  Stroth- 
er.  On  the  line  of  march  there  was  a  defile  between  two 
hills  where  a  small  stream  was  to  be  crossed,  a  place  every  way 
fitted  for  an  ambuscade.  General  Jackson  was  too  good  a 
soldier  to  be  taken  at  disadvantage  in  such  a  place,  so  he  re- 
solved to  cross  the  stream  at  another  ford  where  there  was  no 
lurking  place  for  the  wily  savage.  He  had  just  begun  crossing 
the  stream  when  the  enemy  charged  the  rear  guard.  For  a 
time  the  troops  fell  into  disorder,  and  were  in  great  danger  of  a 
wholesale  massacre.  The  Muscogees  were  swarming  like  bees, 
and  for  a  time  there  was  none  to  withstand  them  but  the  left 
wing,  the  artillery,  a  company  of  spies  and  a  few  of  the  rear 
guard .  The  repeated  charges  of  grape  from  the  artillery  kept 
the  savages  at  bay  until  General  Jackson  could  rally  his  troops, 
and  at  last  the  Muscogees  fled  in  great  disorder,  leaving  one 
hundred  and  ninety  dead  on  the  field,  besides  about  an  equal 
number  carried  away,  and  the  wounded,  whose  number  could 
not  be  ascertained.  Soon  after  this,  however,  they  attacked 
General  Floyd,  but  were  repulsed  with  considerable  loss. 

On  the  return  to  Fort  Strother,  General  Jackson,  hearing  that 
fresh  troops  were  expected  from  Tennessee,  where  the  news  of 
his  success  had  much  effect,  determined  to  discharge  his  troops 
as  soon  as  he  could  furnish  them  transportation  home.  The 
Thirty-ninth  Regiment  of  Tennessee  Militia  arrived  on  the  6th 
of  February,  and  the  troops  from  the  Second  Division,  under 
Brigadier-General  Johnson,  arrived  on  the  14th,  which,  added 
to  the  other  forces,  constituted  about  five  thousand  efficient 
men.  After  more  trouble  of  insubordination  and  discontent, 


158  LIVES    OB'  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

General  Jackson  got  the  army  in  good  fighting  condition  and 
secured  such  supplies  as  enabled  him  to  move  at  once.  At  the 
mouth  of  Cedar  Creek  lie  established  Fort  Williams,  and  leav- 
ing Brigadier-General  Johnson  with  a  force  for  its  protection, 
he  set  out  for  the  Tallapoosa  with  a  force  of  about  three  thou- 
sand men.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th  he  reached  the  village 
of  Tohopeka,  where  the  enemy  had  collected  to  the  number  of 
about  twelve  hundred  to  give  him  battle.  They  had  chosen  an 
admirable  spot  for  defense.  Situated  in  a  bend  of  the  river, 
which  almost  surrounded  it,  it  was  accessible  only  by  a  narrow 
neck  of  land.  Here  they  had  placed  large  timbers  and  trunks 
of  trees  horizontally  on  each  other,  leaving  but  one  place  of 
entrance.  From  a  double  row  of  port-holes  they  were  enabled 
to  fire  in  perfect  security  behind  it.  To  divert  the  savages 
from  the  real  point  of  danger  and  prevent  their  escape  in  their 
canoes  to  the  opposite  shore,  General  Coffee,  with  mount*  d 
infantry  and  friendly  Indians,  had  been  despatched  early  in  the 
morning  to  encircle  the  bend.  The  General  posted  the  rest  of 
his  army  in  front  of  the  breastworks,  which  he  began  to  battle 
with  his  cannon,  while  muskets  and  rifles  were  used  as  the 
Indians  occasionally  showed  themselves.  As  soon  as  the  signal 
announced  that  General  Coffee  had  gained  his  destination,  the 
soldiers,  with  wild  enthusiasm,  rushed  forward  through  sheets 
of  fire  and  leaden  hail  to  charge  the  ramparts.  Here  an 
obstinate  and  destructive  conflict  ensued,  in  which  Major  Mont- 
gomery was  shot  dead  ;  but  scarcely  had  he  fallen  before  the 
troops  had  carried  the  breastworks  and  the  savages  fled  before 
them,  concealing  themselves  under  the  thick  brush  and  timber, 
from  which  they  poured  a  galling  fire.  Dislodged  from  their 
position,  they  rushed  for  their  canoes,  but  to  their  consternation 
found  the  army  lining  the  opposite  shore  and  precluding  escape 
in  that  quarter  The  survivors  then  hid  under  the  fallen  tim- 
ber on  the  river  bank,  from  which  they  were  driven  out  by  fire 
from  lighted  torches,  which  set  the  dry  brush  in  a  fierce  blaze, 
and  the  slaughter  continued  until  but  few  of  the  savages  were 
left  to  escape  in  the  night. 

This  battle  gave  a  death-blow  to  the  hopes  of  the  hostile  In- 
dians, and  they  did  not  again  venture  to  make  a  decided  stand. 


ANDREW  JACKSON.  15V 

Their  best  and  bravest  fell,  and  few  escaped  the  carnage.  Five 
hundred  and  fifty  seven  were  found  dead  on  the  field,  besides 
those  drowned  in  the  river.  Four  men  only  and  three  hundred 
women  and  children  were  taken  prisoners.  Our  loss,  including 
the  friendly  Indians,  was  fifty-five  killed  and  one  hundred  and 
forty -six  wounded. 

Learning  that  the  savages  were  in  considerable  numbers  at 
Hoithlewalee,  Jackson  immediately  took  up  his  inarch  to  con- 
tinue his  victories  and  crush  out  the  war  spirit  of  the  Indians 
as  speedily  as  possible.  But  high  water  prevented  his  reaching 
his  destination  until  the  enemy  had  fled.  He,  however,  cap- 
tured twenty-five  savages  from  the  rear  of  their  retreat. 

The  next  day  the  long-desired  junction  with  the  southern 
army  was  effected,  and  almost  immediately  after  the  principal 
chiefs  of  the  Hickory  ground  tribes  and  the  Creek  chiefs  came 
in  with  protestations  of  friendship  and  sued  for  peace.  It  had 
been  expected  that  the  Indians  would  make  a  desperate  stand 
at  the  Hickory  ground  in  the  forks  near  where  the  Coosa  and 
Tallapoosa  unite. 

The  army  then  continued  its  march  to  old  Toulosse  Fort,  on 
the  Coosa.  Here  the  hostile  chiefs  arrived  daily  with  proffers 
of  submission,  those  who  were  still  opposed  to  peace  having  fled 
to  the  Gulf  coast  and  Pensacola. 

Thus  ended  the  Creek  War,  in  which  General  Jackson  had  so 
successfully  crushed  out  the  cruelties  and  butcheries  of  the 
savages,  which  for  more  than  twenty  years  the  Creeks  had  been 
perpetrating  on  our  border— in  fact  ever  since  they  had  allied 
themselves  to  Great  Britain  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  181-1,  General  Jackson  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  United  States  Major- General.  He  was  also  associated 
with  the  commissioners  for  forming  a  treaty  of  peace  and  of 
limits  with  the  Creek  Indians.  In  the  meeting  with  the  Indians 
General  Jackson  made  a  decisive  speech  in  answer  to  that  of 
Big  Warrior,  upon  which  the  Indians  deliberated  over  the 
treaty  and  signed  it.  This  treaty  ceded  to  the  Indians  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  square  miles,  a  large  and  valuable  body 
of  lands  in  Tennessee  and  Southern  Kentucky  known  as  Jack- 
son's Purchase.  But  as  soon  as  the  treaty  was  signed  the- 


IttO  LJVES    Of  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Chickasaws,  Choctaws  and  Cherokees  set  up  claims  each  to 
their  particular  share  of  the  ceded  lands.  The  Government  at 
length  purchased  their  title  at  an  expense  of  about  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

General  Jackson  had  now  leisure  to  extend  his  thoughts  to 
Florida.  The  Spanish  Governor  of  the  Floridas  had  forfeited 
all  claims  to  his  professed  neutral  character  by  the  supplies  of 
ammunitions  and  aid  so  liberally  furnished  to  the  hostile  Indians. 
During  his  journey  to  Alabama,  General  Jackson  received 
information  that  about  three  hundred  British  troops  had 
landed  and  were  fortifying  themselves  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Apalachicola  River,  and  were  endeavoring  to  excite  the 
Indians  to  war.  He  immediately  acquainted  the  Government 
of  the  fact,  and  requested  permission  to  make  a  descent  upon 
Pensacola,  and  reduce  it.  Jackson  next  wrote  sternly  and 
decisively  to  the  Spanish  Governor,  demanding  the  giving  up 
of  the  hostile  savages  in  his  country.  In  reply  the  Governor 
denied  some  of  the  charges,  and  endeavored  to  palliate  others 
by  accusing  our  Government  of  having  harbored  traitors  from 
the  Mexican  provinces,  and  of  countenancing  pirates  who 
plundered  Spanish  commerce.  The  General  replied  to  this 
letter  by  another,  from  which  we  select  the  following  vigorous 
paragraphs : 

"Your  Excellency  has  been  candid  enough  to  admit  your  having  supplied 
the  Indians  with  arms.  In  addition  to  this,  I  have  learned  that  a  British 
flag  has  been  seen  flying  on  one  of  your  forts.  All  this  is  done  while  you 
pretend  to  be  neutral.  You  cannot  be  surprised  Ihen,  but  on  the  contrary 
will  provide  a  fort  in  your  town  for  my  soldieis  and  Indians  should  I  take  it 
in  my  head  to  pay  you  a  visit. 

"In  future,  1  beg  you  to  withhold  your  insulting  charges  against  my  Gov- 
ernment for  one  more  inclined  to  listen  to  slander  than  I  am  ;  nor  consider 
me  any  more  a  diplomatic  character,  unless  so  proclaimed  to  you  from  the 
mouths  of  my  cannon." 

Captain  Gordon,  who  had  been  sent  to  Pensacola,  reported  on 
his  return  that  he  had  seen  some  two  hundred  soldiers  and 
officers,  a  park  of  artillery  and  about  five  hundred  Indians 
under  the  drill  of  British  officers,  armed  with  new  muskets  and 
dressed  in  the  English  uniform. 

Jackson  laid  before  the  Government  this  information  and 


ANDREW    JACKSON.  161 

again  urged  his  favorite  scheme  of  the  reduction  of  Pensacola, 
and  in  order  to  have  everything  in  readiness  when  the  time  of 
action  should  arrive,  he  addressed  the  Governors  of  Tennessee, 
Louisiana  and  the  Mississippi  Territory,  and  urged  them  to  lend 
all  the  aid  in  their  power.  He  also  ordered  the  warriors  of  the 
different  tribes  of  Indians  to  be  marshaled  and  taken  into  the 
pay  of  the  Government. 

General  Jackson  then  departed  for  Mobile,  to  place  the  coun- 
try in  a  state  of  defense.  He  dispatched  Colonel  Butler  to 
Tennessee  to  raise  volunteers,  and  ordered  General  Coffee  to 
advance  with  such  mounted  men  as  he  could  collect. 

Events  soon  transpired  which  confirmed  Jackson  in  his  inten- 
tion of  marching  against  Pensacola,  although  he  had  not 
received  permission  from  the  Government  to  do  so.  Colonel 
Nicholls,  with  a  small  squadron  of  British  ships,  arrived  at  Pen- 
sacola, where  the  hospitalities  of  the  Spanish  Governor  were 
extended  to  him.  Here  he  issued  a  proclamation  for  the  pur- 
pose of  drawing  deserters  from  the  American  side  to  his  stand- 
ard. After  waiting  two  weeks  for  his  proclamation  to  influence 
its  readers,  he  made  an  attack  on  Fort  Bowyer,  at  the  entrance 
of  Mobile  Bay,  but  was  defeated  with  the  loss  of  his  best  ship 
and  one  of  his  eyes. 

General  Jackson,  seeing  the  importance  of  Fort  Bowyer,  had 
put  it  in  a  state  of  defense.  The  attack  from  the  sea  was  made 
with  six  hundred  men  and  ninety  heavy  guns,  while  four  hun- 
dred Indians  and  other  troops  attacked  it  from  the  rear.  This 
force  was  defeated  by  Major  Lawrence  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty  men  in  the  fort,  with  a  loss  to  the  enemy  of  one  ship  and 
two  hundred  and  thirty  men  killed  and  wounded.  The  loss  of 
the  Americans  did  not  exceed  ten  men. 

The  British  returned  to  Pensacola  to  refit  and  make  a  descent 
on  some  weaker  point.  Jackson  now  resolved  to  undertake  the 
capture  of  Pensacola  on  his  own  responsibility,  and  awaited  only 
the  arrival  of  General  Coffee,  who  soon  came  with  the  reinforce- 
ments, and  on  the  second  day  of  November  the  line  of  march 
was  taken  up.  On  the  6th  the  American  army,  consisting  in  all 
of  about  three  thousand  men,  arrived  at  Pensacola,  where  the 
British  and  Spaniards  had  made  preparations  for  resistance 


102  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Jackson  made  an  attempt  at  negotiation  and  dispatched 
Major  Piere  with  a  flag  of  truce,  which  was  fired  on.  General 
Jackson  then  dispatcher  another  letter  to  the  Governor  by  a 
Spanish  officer  who  had  been  taken  the  day  before.  An  answer 
was  received  stating  that  the  above  outrage  was  properly 
chargeable  to  the  English,  and  that  the  Governor  was  ready  to 
listen  to  whatever  overtures  the  American  General  might 
make.  In  reply,  Jackson  wrote  as  follows  : 

"I  come  not  as  the  enemy  of  Spain,  rot  to  make  war,  but  to  ask  for 
peace;  to  demand  security  for  my  country,  and  that  respect  to  which  she  is 
entitled  and  must  receive.  My  force  is  sufficient,  and  my  determination 
taken  to  prevent  a  future  repetition  of  the  injuries  she  has  received.  I  de- 
mand, therefore,  the  possession  of  the  Barrancas,  and  other  fortifications, 
with  all  your  munitions  of  war.  If  delivered  peaceably,  the  whole  will  be  re- 
ceipted for  and  become  th^  subject  of  future  arrangeoiout  by  our  respective 
governments,  while  the  property,  laws  aud  religion  of  your  citizens  shall  be 
respected.  But,  if  taken  by  an  appeal  to  arms,  Jet  the  blood  of  your  subjects 
be  upon  your  own  head.  I  will  not  hold  myself  responsible  for  the  conduct 
of  my  enrag(  d  soldiers.  One  hour  is  given  you  for  deliberation,  wben  your 
determination  must  be  had." 

This  proposition  was  rejected,  and  Jackson,  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th,  put  his  troops  in  motion.  To  favor  the  idea  that 
he  would  reach  the  town  by  the  road  along  which  he  had  been 
encamped,  he  sent  a  detachment  of  five  hundred  men,  with 
orders  to  show  themselves  in  that  direction,  while  with  the 
strength  of  the  army  he  rapidly  approached  Pensacola  in 
another  direction.  The  stratagem  succeeded.  The  British  had 
formed  their  vessels  across  the  bay  and  were  waiting  his 
approach  with  the  most  praiseworthy  patience  from  the  point 
where  the  detachment  had  been  seen.  Suddenly  our  troops 
were  descried  on  the  beach  on  the  east  side,  where  it  was  impos- 
sible for  the  flotilla  to  annoy  them. 

They  pushed  forward,  and  were  soon  in  the  streets  and  shel- 
tered by  the  houses.  Panic-stricken,  the  Governor  hastened 
with  a  flag  of  truce,  and  he  promised  an  immediate  surrender 
of  the  town,  the  arsenals  and  the  munitions  of  war. 

Everything  was  in  readiness  the  next  day  to  take  possession 
of  Barrancas.  Our  troops  were  approaching  the  place  when  a. 
tremendous  explosion  gave  notice  that  all  was  destroyed.  The 


ANDREW  JACKSON.  163 

fort  was  blown  up  and  the  British  shipping  had  retired  from 
the  bay. 

General  Jackson  was  now  anxious  to  depart  for  New 
Orleans,  believing  that  a  large  British  fleet  would  soon  appear 
on  the  coast.  After  certain  necessary  dispositions  of  the  troops 
Jackson  left  Mobile  on  the  22d  of  November,  and  on  the  1st  of 
December  established  his  headquarters  at  New  Orleans. 

In  the  meantime  orders  were  issued  by  the  Secretary  of  War 
to  the  Governors  of  the  adjoining  States  to  hasten  forward 
their  quotas  of  men  and  supplies.  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
promptly  responded. 

The  Legislature  of  Louisiana  had  been  for  some  weeks  in  ses- 
sion, but  had  not  yet  arrived  at  any  definite  decision.  The  ar- 
rival of  Jackson  infused  new  vigor  into  the  public  measures. 
He  reviewed  the  volunteer  corps  of  the  city,  visited  the  different 
forts  and  inspected  the  avenues  to  the  city,  and  the  forts  were 
put  in  the  best  possible  condition,  and  every  precaution  was 
taken  to  guard  and  defend  the  passes,  but  treachery  at  last 
pointed  out  to  the  enemy  a  narrow  pass  through  which  they 
effected  a  landing,  and  reached,  undiscovered,  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi. 

As  soon  as  information  was  received  that  the  English  fleet 
was  approaching,  Lieutenant  Jones,  with  his  gunboats,  was  or- 
dered to  i  econnoitre  and  ascertain  their  disposition  and  force. 
This  resulted  in  an  engagement  wherein  our  gunboats  were 
compelled  to  surrender,  after  a  fierce  contest,  in  which  the 
American  loss  was  ten  killed  and  thirty-five  wounded,  while 
the  loss  of  the  British  could  not  have  been  less  than  three  hun- 
dred, nearly  two  hundred  of  whom  were  drowned  in  an  attempt 
to  board  the  gunboats. 

When  it  was  announced  in  New  Orleans  that  the  British  had 
disembarked,  all  was  panic  among  the  citizens,  notwithstanding 
the  preparations  of  the  General.  On  the  night  of  the  2<Jd  the 
enemy  effected  a  landing  at  Bayou  Bienvenue,  a  lagoon  stretch- 
ing to  within  fifteen  miles  of  New  Orleans.  Jackson  resolved 
to  advance  and  give  them  battle  that  night.  He  arrived  in 
sight  of  the  enemy  a  little  before  dark.  The  schooner  Caroline 
was  ordered  to  drop  down  opposite  the  enemy's  position,  where 


164  LIVES   OF  OCR  PRESIDENTS. 

she  was  to  anchor  and  deliver  her  fire.  This  was  fco  be  the 
signal  for  a  general  attack.  The  British  were  forced  by  the 
Caroline's  guns  to  retire  three  hundred  yards  in  rear  of  their 
first  position.  This  brought  them  in  contact  with  Genera) 
Coffee's  force,  who  opened  a  fire  so  destructive  that  the  enemy 
gave  way,  but  soon  rallied  again.  While  the  left  whig  was 
thus  engaged  General  Jackson  attacked  the  enemy's  left  flank. 
The  British  had  gained  a  favorable  position  between  two  levees 
or  embankments  which  had  been  raised  to  resist  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  Mississippi.  In  this  sheltered  position  Jackson 
fought  them  for  half  an  hour,  when,  a  dense  fog  arising,  he 
judged  it  prudent  to  discontinue  the  contest. 

Ascertaining  that  the  force  of  the  enemy  was  about  six 
thousand  men,  which  greatly  exceeded  any  force  which  Jack- 
son could  bring  against  them,  he  resolved  to  forbear  all  further 
efforts  until  the  Kentucky  troops  should  arrive.  He  fell  back 
and  formed  his  line  behind  a  deep  ditch  that  ran  at  right  angles 
with  the  river,  and  was  defended  on  the  left  by  an  almost  im- 
passable swamp.  To  put  this  position  in  proper  defense,  bales 
of  cotton  in  great  numbers  were  drawn  from  the  city  and 
placed  so  as  to  form  an  almost  impenetrable  bulwark. 

On  the  28th  the  British  columns  advanced  on  our  works, 
apparently  with  the  intention  of  storming  them.  Sir  Edward 
Packenham  commanded  in  person.  At  the  distance  of  half  a 
mile  they  opened  their  heavy  artillery  upon  us,  but  after  per- 
severing in  their  attack  for  seven  hours,  the  British  abandoned 
the  unavailing  contest.  The  armed  sloop  Louisiana  had  also 
opened  fire  upon  them  and  withstood  all  their  efforts  to  silence 
her. 

About  this  time  Jackson  was  very  much  incensed  at  hearing 
that  the  Legislature  of  Louisiana  thought  of  offering  terms  of 
capitulation  to  the  enemy  in  case  our  army  was  defeated,  and 
he  sent  orders  to  Governor  Claiborne  to  confine  the  representa- 
tives in  their  Chamber  the  moment  such  a  proposition  was  dis- 
cussed. On  receiving  this  order  the  Governor  coolly  marched 
an  armed  force  to  the  hall  of  the  Legislature  and  unceremo- 
niously expelled  the  members  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
Jackson's  real  intention,  if  defeated,  was  to  kave  retreated  to 


ANDKKW    JACKSON.  16i) 

the  city,  fired  it  and  fought  the  enemy  amidst  the  surrounding 
flames.  "I  would,"  said  he,  "have  destroyed  New  Orleans, 
occupied  a  position  above  on  the  river,  cut  off  all  supplies,  and 
in  this  way  have  compelled  them  to  leave  the  country." 

On  the  8th  of  January,  with  the  dawn,  the  enemy's  signals 
for  movement  were  descried.  The  charge  that  followed  was 
so  rapid  that  the  troops  on  the  outposts  fled  in  with  difficulty. 
Showers  of  bombs  and  balls  poured  in  upon  our  lines,  while  the 
air  blazed  with  Congreve  rockets.  Packenham  commanded 
in  person,  supported  by  Generals  Keane  and  Gibbs,  and  a  thick 
fog  enabled  them  to  approach  near  our  intrenchments  before 
they  were  discovered.  Our  troops  on  descrying  them,  gave 
three  cheers  and  poured  upon  them  a  sheet  of  fire  from  the  whole 
line.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  burst  of  artillery  which 
swept  down  their  front.  From  the  musketry,  there  was  a  con- 
tinuous volley.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  horror  of  the  scene 
before  them,  and  Sir  Edward  Packenham  hastened  to  the  front 
and  endeavored  to  rally  the  wavering  ranks  of  his  veterans,  in 
which  position  he  fell,  mortally  wounded,  near  our  lines. 
Scarcely  had  Packenham  received  his  death  wound  before  the 
officer  next  in  command  was  shot  down.  Again  and  again 
were  they  led  by  their  officers  over  the  thickly  strewn  bodies  of 
their  comrades  to  receive  the  same  fate.  So  dreadful  was  the 
destruction  that  they  could  hardly  close  the  gaps  in  their  ranks 
as  fast  as  they  were  made.  At  last  they  lost  heart,  and  broke 
and  fled,  and  their  defeat  was  as  signal  as  it  was  fatal. 

The  loss  of  the  British  in  the  main  attack  has  been  variously 
estimated.  The  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  as  ascertained 
by  Colonel  Hayne,  our  Inspector-General,  the  day  after  the 
battle,  amounted  to  two  thousand  six  hundred.  The  Amer- 
ican loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  only  thirteen.  Our  ef- 
fective force  on  the  line  was  short  of  three  thousand,  that  of  the 
enemy  engaged  was  at  least  nine  thousand. 

After  this  the  enemy  made  a  great  effort  to  bring  their  fleet 
up  the  river,  and  a  violent  attack  was  made  on  Fort  St.  Philip, 
but  they  were  so  gallantly  repulsed  by  the  garrison  that  they  for- 
sook their  camp  and  took  refuge  on  board  their  ships.  On  the 
10th  of  February  news  of  peace  was  received  at  New  Orleans. 


166  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Thus  ended  the  much  talked  of  battle  of  New  Orleans.  At 
the  close  of  the  contest,  General  Jackson  delivered  an  able 
address  to  the  soldiers  and  citizens,  in  which  he  recounted  the 
glorious  acts  of  bravery  of  his  men  and  complimented  them  on 
their  undaunted  courage,  their  patriotism  and  patience  under 
hardships  and  fatigues,  and  gave  a  most  glowing  description  of 
the  contest,  which,  in  point  of  numbers,  stands  to-day  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  victories  for  our  side  and  signal  defeats  for 
the  enemy  on  record. 

General  Jackson  was  received  at  New  Orleans  on  his  return 
with  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  and  the  23d  of  January  was 
appointed  a  day  of  thanksgiving,  and  a  grand  procession 
marched  in  his  honor. 

During  martial  law  in  the  city  Jackson  had  arrested  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  named  Louallier  on  a  charge  of  exciting 
mutiny  among  his  troops  by  a  publication  in  a  newspaper.  Loual- 
lier  applied  to  Judge  Hall  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  which  was 
immediately  issued.  Instead,  however,  of  acting  in  obedience 
to  the  writ,  Jackson  arrested  the  Judge,  and  turned  him  out  of 
the  city.  On  being  restored  to  the  exercise  of  his  functions 
Judge  Hall  granted  a  rule  of  court  for  General  Jackson  to 
appear  and  show  cause  why  an  attachment  for  contempt  should 
not  be  awarded  against  him.  Jackson  made  a  long  defense,  but 
by  the  decision  of  the  court  he  was  fined  one  thousand  dollars. 
But  popular  feeling  ran  so  strongly  that  no  sooner  was  the 
judgment  pronounced  than  the  populace  filled  the  streets  with 
huzzas  for  Jackson,  and  after  drawing  him  in  a  carriage  by 
hand  through  the  streets  they  raised  the  thousand  dollars  by 
subscription  to  pay  his  fine,  but  Jackson  preferred  the  satisfac- 
tion of  paying  it  himself. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  1815,  General  Jackson  arrived  in  Nash- 
ville and  received  an  ovation  from  the  citizens,  and  the  Legis- 
lature of  Tennessee  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  and  presented  him 
with  a  gold  medal.  He  was  soon  after  appointed  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  Southern  Division. 

In  the  fall  of  1815  Jackson  visited  the  seat  of  government 
and  received  great  demonstrations  of  respect  on  his  route.  At 
Lynchburg,  in  Virginia,  at  a  public  dinner  in  his  honor,  Thomas 


JACKSON.  167 

Jefferson  gave  the  following  toast :  "  Honor  and  gratitude  to 
the  man  who  has  filled  the  measure  of  his  country's  glory." 

In  the  spring  of  1816  Jackson  again  visited  New  Orleans,  and 
after  stationing  the  army  in  the  southern  section  of  his  division, 
he  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  for  securing  from  them 
the  absolute  relinquishment  of  all  the  claims  they  pretended  to 
have  to  lands  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States. 

To  prevent  the  depredations  of  the  Seminole  Indians  on  our 
southern  frontiers,  three  forts  were  built,  and  General  Gaines 
proceeded  to  expel  the  Indians.  In  the  consequent  skirmishes 
a  party  of  men,  under  Lieutenant  Scott,  fell  into  an  ambuscade 
of  the  savages  and  were  all  slain  but  six,  who  escaped.  On 
hearing  this  General  Jackson  raised  an  army  of  two  thousand 
five  hundred  volunteers  and  marched  upon  the  Mickasucky 
villages,  which  he  burned  on  finding  them  deserted,  and 
marched  to  St.  Marks,  a  Spanish  port,  on  Apalachy  Bay.  Here 
he  arrested  a  Scotchman,  an  Indian  trader,  and  a  British  Lieu- 
tenant of  marines,  whom  he  accused  of  exciting  the  Indians  to 
hostility  against  the  United  States  and  supplying  them  with  the 
means  of  war.  They  were  tried  by  a  court  martial  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged. 

General  Jackson  then  marched  to  Escambia,  near  Pensacola. 
in  the  face  of  a  remonstrance  from  the  Spanish  Governor,  and 
hearing  that  a  party  of  fugitive  Indians  had  passed  through 
the  town,  he  resolved  to  follow  them.  Jackson  took  possession 
of  the  place  on  the  2-lth,  and  the  next  day  commenced  offen- 
sive operations  against  Fort  Barrancas,  which  was  finally  sur- 
rendered. In  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War  Jackson  justified 
his  conduct  on  the  ground  that  Spain  allowed  the  Indian  tribes 
within  her  borders  to  visit  our  citizens  with  all  the  horrors  of 
savage  war,  and  that  foreign  agents  'were  openly  and  know- 
ingly practicing  their  intrigues  in  this  neutral  territory.  "  The 
immutable  principle,  therefore,  of  self-defense,"  said  Jackson, 
"justified  the  occupancy  of  Florida,  and  the  sume  principle 
will  warrant  the  American  Government  in  holding  it  until 
such  time  as  Sp;iia  can  guarantee  by  an  adequate  mih'tary 
force  the  maintaining  her  authority  within  the  colony." 

At  the  close  of  the  Serninole  campaign,  General  Jackson  re- 


l£8  LIVES  OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

turned  to  Nashville.  From  this  period  until  the  summer  of 
1821  nothing  particularly  worthy  of  remark  occurred  to  him. 
Florida  was,  by  the  treaty,  to  be  ceded  in  August,  and  in  Juno 
he  was  appointed  Governor  of  the  whole  territory.  The  Spanish 
officers  yielded  their  several  commands  on  the  day  appointed 
by  the  treaty.  The  new  Governor,  however,  did  not  assume 
his  command  in  perfect  harmony  and  serenity.  There  were 
certain  documents  which  the  Spanish  Governor  Callava  re- 
tained in  his  possession.  On  refusal  to  surrender  them,  Jack- 
son ordered  him  taken  into  custody  by  an  armed  guard  and 
committed  to  piison.  On  the  next  day  a  search  warrant  for 
papers  was  issued,  upon  which  they  were  obtained,  and  Callava 
was  released. 

Becoming  weary  of  kis  situation  as  Governor,  Jackson  re- 
signed his  office  and  returned  to  Nashville.  In  May,  1822,  he 
was  nominated  by  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee  a  candidate  for 
the  Presidency.  He  was  elected  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year 
to  the  United  States  Senate. 

The  Presidential  campaign  was  an  exciting  one.  The  candi- 
dates were  John  Quincy  Adams  of  the  North,  Andrew  Jackson 
and  Henry  Clay  of  the  West,  and  Crawford  and  Calhoun  of  the 
South,but  Mr.  Calhoun  withdrawing,  the  contest  was  maintained 
between  the  other  candidates.  General  Jackson  received 
ninety-nine  electoral  votes ;  J.  Q.  Adams,  eighty-four  ;  W.  H. 
Crawford,  forty-one  ;  and  Henry  Clay,  thirty-seven.  No  candi- 
date receiving  the  majority  necessary  to  a  choice,  the  election 
devolved  upon  the  House  of  Representatives,  where  Mr.  Clay 
avowed  himself  in  favor  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  his  friends  follow- 
ing his  example,  Mr.  Adams  was  elected. 

During  the  political  excitement  in  relation  to  the  Presidency, 
General  Lafayette,  who  was  making  his  memorable  tour  through 
the  United  States,  became  the  guest  of  General  Jackson  at  his 
residence,  near  Nashville,  where  ho  was  highly  pleased  with 
the  simplicity  of  the  General's  life  at  home. 

In  October,  1825,  General  Jackson  was  again  nominated  by 
the  Legislature  of  Tennessee  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency. 
He  soon  after  resigned  his  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate,  and 
retired  to  private  life.  In  May,  1826,  he  was  nominated  for  the 


ANURKW   JACKSOK.  16 

Presidency  by  a  meeting  of  citizens  in  Philadelphia,  and  active 
measures  were  taken  by  his  friends  to  insure  his  success. 

In  the  autumn  of  1828  the  election  took  place,  and  the  result 
was  the  choico  of  General  Jackson  as  President  of  the  United 
States.  Before  departing  for  the  seat  of  government  he  met 
with  a  severe  affliction  in  the  death  of  Mrs.  Jackson,  which  bore 
heavily  upon  him  for  some  time. 

Towards  the  close  of  January,  1829,  General  Jackson  and 
suite  left  the  Hermitage  for  the  seat  of  government.  As  there 
were  no  railroads,  this  journey  was  undertaken  in  a  carriage, 
escorted  by  ten  or  twelve  horsemen.  He  reached  Washington 
early  in  February,  and  on  the  4th  of  March  the  ceremony  of  his 
inauguration  took  place,  at  which  time  he  delivered  a  short  but 
appropriate  address. 

President  Jackson  organized  his  Cabinet  by  appointing  Mar- 
tin Van  Buren,  of  New  York,  Secretary  of  State  ;  Samuel  D. 
Ingham,  of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  John  H. 
Eaton,  of  Tennessee,  Secretary  of  War  ;  John  Branch,  of  North 
Carolina,  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  and  John  M.  Berrien,  of 
Georgia,  Attorney-General. 

On  the  opening  of  Congress,  in  December,  1829,  the  first 
message  of  the  President  was  delivered.  In  this  document  he 
recommended  an  amendment  to  that  part  of  the  Constitution 
which  relates  to  the  election  of  President  and  Vice-President, 
so  that  all  intermediate  agency  in  the  election  might  be 
removed. 

He  believed  that  the  purity  of  our  government  would  be  pro- 
moted by  the  exclusion  of  members  of  Congress  from  all 
appointments  in  the  gift  of  the  President.  He  advised  that 
the  attention  of  Congress  should  be  directed  to  the  modifi- 
cation of  the  tariff. 

He  recommended  that  no  more  first-rate  ships  should  be 
built,  but  that  the  materials  of  marine  architecture  should 
rather  be  collected  and  placed  in  situations  where  they  might 
readily  be  put  to  use. 

In  1830  Congress  again  assembled,  and  President  Jackson 
presented  his  second  annual  message.  Previous  to  the  close  of 
this  session,  a  rupture  took  place  between  the  President  and 


170  L1TES    OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Mr.  Calhoun,  the  Vice-President,  which  gave  rise  to  a  volum- 
inous correspondence,  which  was  published  at  the  adjournment 
of  Congress. 

In  this  posture  of  affairs  the  country  was  astonished  by  the 
information  that  the  Cabinet  Ministers  of  the  President  had  re- 
signed, and  the  most  lively  curiosity  was  manifested  to  learn 
the  causes  of  this  unexpected  and  unprecedented  movement. 

The  mystery  was  finally  developed  by  a  communication  of 
the  Attorney-General  to  the  public,  in  which  the  cause  of  the 
want  of  harmony  in  the  administration  was  attributed  to  a  de- 
termination to  compel  the  families  of  the  retiring  members 
to  associate  with  the  wife  of  the  Secretary  of  State. 

It  appeared  thai  these  ladies  had  declined  to  visit  Mrs.  Van 
Buren,  which  had  resulted  in  a  coolness  and  want  of  harmony 
between  the  Secretary  of  State  and  the  others  of  the  Cabinet. 

The  new  Cabinet,  organized  in  the  summer  of  1831,  was  as  fol- 
lows :  Edward  Livingstone,  of  Louisiana,  Secretary  of  State : 
Louis  McLane,  of  Delaware,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  Lewis 
Cass,  of  Ohio,  Secretary  of  War ;  Levi  Woodbury,  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Roger  B.  Taney,  of  Maryland, 
Attorney-General. 

The  determination  adopted  by  General  Jackson  not  to  enforce 
the  Indian  Intercourse  Act  whenever  its  provisions  should  bring 
the  government  of  a  State  into  collision  with  that  of  the  United 
States  now  began  to  produce  unhappy  consequences,  and  the 
State  of  Georgia  began  to  issue  writs  against  residents  in  the 
Indian  Territory,  and  they  were  tried  before  the  State  tribunals, 
regardless  of  the  pleas  of  the  Cherokees  as  to  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  court.  In  the  case  of  an  Indian  condemned  by  the  State 
courts  to  be  executed  for  the  murder  of  another  Cherokee  in  the 
Indian  Territory,  a  writ  of  error  was  issued  from  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  and  a  citation  served  upon  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Georgia,  but  the  State  of  Georgia  refused  to  acknowl- 
edge any  rights  of  interference  in  the  matter  on  the  part  of  the 
General  Government,  and  the  Indian  was  executed  in  accord- 
ance with  his  sentence. 

The  Twenty-second  Congress  of  the  United  States  convened 
in  December,  1881,  and  the  customary  message  was  sent  in. 


ANDREW  JACKSON. 


171 


The  most  important  question  which  agitated  this  session  was 
that  of  renewing  tho  charter  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States. 
After  much  discussion  this  bill  passed  the  House  and  Senate, 
and  was  submitted  to  the  President,  by  whom  it  was  rejected 
and  returned  with  his  objections.  A  great  sensation  was 
produced  throughout  the  Union  by  the  promulgation  of  the 


STATUE  OF   ANDREW  JACKSON,    NEW  ORLEANS,  LA. 

veto-message,  and  the  excitement  was  evidently  favorable  to 
the  man  who  had  possessed  the  independence  to  pursue  such  a 
course.  On  the  13th  of  July  tho  Senate  resumed  the  bank  sub- 
ject, and  after  some  discussion  the  question  was  put  and 
decided  in  tho  negative. 

Tho  next  public  paper  of  importance  which  proceeded  from 
the  President  was  tho  proclamation  issued  against  the  ordinance 
of  the  South  Carolina  convention,  assembled  at  Columbia. 


1<V  LIVES    OP   OUR   PKKSIDKNTK. 

The  proceedings  of  this  convention  had  been  watched  by  the 
people  with  great  interest,  and  when%he  deliberations  resulted 
in  the  plain  threat  of  nullification,  conjecture  was  busy  as  to  the 
course  the  President  would  adopt.  No  sooner  was  his  procla- 
mation issued  denouncing  the  measures  of  the  convention  than 
it  was  met  by  the  most  cheering  responses  from  all  parts  of  the 
Union.  This  document  may  be  ranked  among  the  ablest  and 
most  popular  State  papers  ever  issued.  The  excitement  was  for- 
tunately allayed  without  bloodshed. 

On  the  13th  of  February,  1883,  the  two  Houses  of  Congress 
met  in  the  Representatives'  Chamber  to  count  the  votes  for  a 
President  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  for  four  years 
from  the  4th  of  March  ensuing.  The  official  result  was  as  fol- 
lows :  For  President,  Jackson,  219  votes  ;  Clay,  49  votes.  For 
Vice-President,  Van  Buren,  189  votes;  Sergeant,  49  votes. 
General  Jackson  being  re-elected,  his  inauguration  took  place 
with  the  usual  ceremonies  on  the  4th  of  March. 

On  the  6th  of  May  General  Jackson,  with  his  Cabinet,  assisted 
in  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  monument  erected  at  Frede- 
ricksburg  in  honor  of  the  mother  of  Washington.  It  was  while 
on  board  the  steamer  at  Alexandria  that  Randolph,  a  discharged 
lieutenant  from  the  navy,  came  on  board  and  made  a  cowardly 
assault  on  the  President.  The  ceremonies  of  laying  the  corner- 
stone were  very  solemn  and  imposing,  and  the  occasion  was 
altogether  very  grand. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  1833,  President  Jackson  set  out  on  his 
journey  to  New  England,  accompanied  by  the  Vice-President 
and  members  of  the  Cabinet.  Everywhere  the  President 
stopped  on  the  tour  he  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm  by 
the  citizens,  and  amid  the  firing  of  salutes,  the  waving  of  flags 
and  the  shouts  of  applauding  multitudes,  the  journey  was  a 
perfect  ovation. 

It  was  during  President  Jackson's  absence  on  this  trip  that 
the  order  was  given  for  the  removal  of  the  deposits  from  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States,  which  led  to  the  expulsion  of  Mr. 
Duane  from  the  Cabinet,  and  the  temporary  elevation  of  Mr. 
Taney  to  the  office  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  This  act  ren- 
dered the  last  years  of  President  Jackson's  administration  a 


ANDREW  JACKSON.  178 

period  of  continued  agitation  and  disorder.  By  one  party  it 
was  sustained  as  a  bold  and  patriotic  movement  necessary  to 
arrest  the  political  action  of  a  dangerous  moneyed  institution ; 
by  the  other  it  was  denounced  as  contrary  to  the  good  faith 
of  the  republic,  the  spirit  of  our  institutions  and  the  letter  of 
the  law.  The  question  was  duly  brought  before  both  houses  of 
Congress.  In  the  Senate  a  resolution  of  censure  was  passed, 
which  was  afterwards  voted  to  be  expunged,  while  in  the  House 
no  definite  action  was  ever  taken  on  the  precise  point  at  issue. 

General  Jackson,  immediately  after  quitting  the  Presidential 
Chair,  went  into  retirement  at  the  Hermitage,  his  country  seat 
near  Nashville,  where  his  remaining  days  were  passed  under 
much  bodily  suffering,  until  the  8th  of  June,  1845,  when,  after 
a  long  confinement  to  his  bed,  he  passed  quietly  away  in  the 
hope  of  a  glorious  immortality. 


MARTIN    VAN    BUREN. 


Martin  Van  Burea,  the  eighth  President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  at  Kinderhook,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  on  the  5th 
of  December,  1782.  His  parents  were  of  Dutch  descent,  and  in 
humble  circumstances.  He  received  his  education  in  an 
academy  of  his  native  village,  which  he  left  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  to  commeuce  the  study  of  law.  The  term  of  study 
required  of  candidates  not  educated  in  college  was  then  seven 
years.  Six  of  them  young  Van  Buren  passed  in  his  native 
village,  the  last  in  the  city  of  New  York,  under  the  instructions 
of  Mr.  William  P.  Van  Ness,  a  distinguished  member  of  the  bar 
and  a  prominent  leader  of  the  Democratic  party. 

In  November,  1803,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  admitted  as  An  attor- 
ney at  law  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  immediately  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  Kinderliook.  At  the  iirst  succeeding  session  of  the 
Columbia  County  Court  he  was  enrolled  in  the  list  of  its  attor- 
neys and  counsellors.  He  also  took  an  early  interest  in  local 
politics,  and  espoused  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  during  the  ascendency  of  this  party  in  the  State  Mr.  Van 
Buren  was  appointed  Surrogate  of  Columbia  County.  In  1809 
he  removed  from  Kinderhook  to  Hudson,  and  thus  established 
in  the  capital  of  his  native  county  he  may  be  considered  to  have 
entered  on  the  most  successful  period  of  his  professional  life. 

Mr.  Van  Buren  resided  for  seven  years  in  Hudson,  engaged 
in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  and  managed  with  no 
little  address  as  a  party  leader.  His  legal  and  partisan  merits 
were  so  well  appreciated  that  on  the  accession  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  1815  he  was  appointed  Attorney-General  of  the 
State. 

In  1812  he  had  been  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate 


176  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

from  the  middle  district,  by  which  election  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Court  for  the  Reversion  of  Errors.  In  1816,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  official  duties  and  his  professional  engagements, 
he  removed  from  Hudson  to  Albany,  where  his  practice  became 
extensive  and  lucrative.  In  1819  his  party  had  lost  their  ascen- 
dency in  the  council  of  appointment,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren  was 
removed  from  the  office  of  Attorney-General.  His  last  profes- 
sional effort  before  a  jury  is  said  to  have  been  in  the  trials  of 
the  celebrated  Astor  case  and  the  case  of  the  Sailors'  Snug  Har- 
bor in  the  city  of  New  York. 

In  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  elected  to 
the  State  Senate,  where  his  legal  term  of  service  commenced  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1812.  On  the  3d  of  November,  1812,  the  Legis- 
lature met  in  Albany  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  electors,  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  4th  Democratic  members  of  the  Legisla- 
ture met  in  caucus  in  the  Senate  Chamber  to  nominate  candi- 
dates for  Presidential  electors.  The  proposition  before  the  cau- 
cus was  "  Madison  and  war"  or  "  Clinton  and  peace."  Mr.  Van 
Buren  spoke  strongly  for  Clinton  and  peace  In  comparing 
Madison' with  Clinton  he  rated  the  former  infinitely  below  the 
latter.  He  denounced  the  policy  of  the  general  government  in 
plunging  the  nation  unprepared  into  a  war,  and  denounced  the 
entire  Cabinet  as  unworthy  the  confidence  and  support  of  the 
people.  Mr.  Van  Buren  earned  his  point,  and  the  caucus  de- 
cided that  they  would  support  no  man  who  would  vote  for 
James  Madison. 

Thus  it  appears  that  from  1811  to  1813  Mr.  Van  Buren  was 
the  associate  and  friend  of  that  class  of  politicians  opposed  to 
the  war  ;  that  he  was  the  opponent  of  Madison  and  adherent  of 
Clinton.  When  Mr.  Madison  was  re-elected,  December,  1812, 
Mr.  Van  Buren  was  disinclined  to  continue  his  opposition,  and 
made  arrangements  to  transfer  his  influence  to  the  Madison 
party.  Having  ingratiated  himself  with  Governor  Tompkins, 
who  possessed  tke  confidence  of  the  administration,  he  was 
introduced  to  the  attention  of  the  general  government,  and  Mr. 
Van  Buren  was  suddenly  converted  into  an  advocate  of  the  war, 
a  supporter  of  Mr.  Madison  and  a  professor  of  the  current  Vir- 
ginia politics.  In  this  complexion  he  continued  during  the  war. 


MARTIN  VAN  BHREN.  177 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1816  it  had  become 
apparent  to  Mr.  Van  Bur  en  that  Mr.  Clinton,  as  the  head  of 
the  canal  party,  would  be  the  next  candidate  for  the  guberna- 
torial chair.  The  canal  policy  was  evidently  in  the  ascendant. 
Until  the  convening  of  the  Legislature,  in  January,  1817,  Mr. 
Van  Buren  had  been  entirely  noncommittal  on  the  subject  of 
internal  improvement,  and  had  even  been  engaged  in  violent 
denunciations  of  Mr.  Clinton.  Previous  to  the  convention  pre- 
liminary meetings  were  held  by  the  anti-Clintonians,  among 
whom  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  numbered.  It  was  then  determined 
that  as  soon  as  Mr.  Clinton  was  nominated  the  minority  should 
withdraw.  At  length  the  grand  caucus  was  held,  and,  as  had 
been  expected,  Mr.  Clinton  was  nominated,  upon  which  Mr. 
Van  Buren,  to  the  great  surprise,  disgust  and  consternation  of 
the  anti-Clintonians,  rose  and  moved  that  the  nomination 
be  made  unanimous.  Thus  Mr.  Van  Buren  fou ud  himself  once 
more  safely  landed  among  the  friends  of  Mr.  Clinton,  and  soon 
after  gave  his  first  vote  in  favor  of  appropriations  for  the 
canal. 

After  the  election  of  Governor  Clinton,  Mr.  Van  Buren  ascer- 
tained that  he  could  not  obtain  his  confidence,  and  was  soon 
found  in  an  opposition.  The  course  pursued  in  appointments 
to  office  was  not  approved  by  the  Democratic  party,  and  Mr. 
Van  Buren  and  his  friends  prepared  to  oppose  bis  re-election. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  1821,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  appointed 
by  the  Legislature  of  New  York  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  In  the  August  following  he  was  returned  a 
member  of  the  convention  to  revise  the  Constitution  of  the 
State.  In  this  Convention  he  took  an  active  part,  and  made  an 
able  speech. 

In  December,  1821,  Mr.  Van  Buren  took  his  seat  as  a  Senator 
of  the  United  States.  On  his  first  appearance  in  that  body  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  committee  on  finance,  and  of  the 
committee  on  the  judiciary.  Early  in  his  Senatorial  career  he 
united  with  Colonel  Johnson  in  his  labors  for  the  abolition  of 
imprisonment  for  debt.  He  also  favored  an  amendment  to  the 
Constitution  to  keep  the  choice  of  President  and  Vice-President 
from  devolving  on  the  House  of  Representatives.  He  also  ad- 


178  LIVES  OF  OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

vocated  the  establishment  of  a  uniform  system  of  bank- 
ruptcy. 

In  February,  1824,  the  Congressional  caucus  at  Washington 
nominated  Mr.  Crawford  for  the  Presidency,  and  Mr.  Van 
Buren  was  zealous  in  his  support.  At  this  election  the  aggre- 
gate vote  of  the  colleges  was  261,  of  which  Mr.  Crawford  re- 
ceived 41,  Mr.  Clay  37,  Mr.  Adams  84,  and  General  Jackson  99. 
In  the  State  of  New  York  the  influence  of  Mr.  Van  Buren  had 
given  five  of  her  electoral  votes  to  Mr.  Crawford.  In  the  ulti- 
mate decision  between  Mr.  Adams  and  General  Jackson,  Mr. 
Van  Buren  took  no  active  part.  It  was  not  anticipated  that 
Mr.  Adams  would  be  elected  on  the  first  ballot.  The  unex- 
pected result  prevented  Mr.  Van  Buren  from  signalizing  himself 
in  his  service. 

Mr.  Van  Buren  soon  become  noted  for  his  zeal  and  activity 
in  opposition  to  the  administration  of  Mr.  Adams.  He  opposed 
the  mission  to  Panama.  He  opposed  the  appropriation  of 
money  by  the  general  governm^tit  for  internal  improvements. 
He  expressed  himself  in  opposition  to  a  high  tariff  policy.  He 
also  took  an  active  part  in  the  reform  of  the  press,  by  advocat- 
ing the  judicious  bestowal  of  the  patronage  of  the  Senate. 

De  Witt  Clinton  died  in  February,  1828,  and  in  November 
following  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  elected  to  succeed  him  in  the 
gubernatorial  chair,  and  he  accordingly  resigned  his  seat  in  the 
Senate  and  entered  upon  the  office  of  Governor  in  January,  1829. 

In  his  message  to  the  Legislature  he  broached  the  scheme  of 
the  safety  fund,  in  which  he  expressed  the  opinion  that  to  dis- 
pense with  banks  altogether  is  an  idea  which  seems  to  have 
no  advocate,  while  to  make  ourselves  dependent  on  those 
established  by  Federal  authority  deserves  none.  That  experi- 
ence is  against  banks  owned  wholly  by  the  State,  and  that  to 
make  stockholders  responsible  in  their  privute  capacity  throws 
the  stock  in  the  hands  of  irresponsible  persons  ;  and  concluded 
his  message  by  saying  that  "the  interest  which  attaches  itself 
to  the  representative  character  can  never  be  greater  than  when 
the  fulfillment  of  the  trust  committed  to  the  representative 
may  bring  him  in  conflict  with  the  claims  of  the  great  moneyed 
interests  of  the  country. " 


MARTIN  VAN  BUREKT.  179 

On  the  20th  of  January,  1829,  Mr.  Van  Buren,  in  a  brief 
message,  introduced,  the  safety  fund  to  the  favorable  notice  of 
the  Legislature.  Thus,  though  his  gubernatorial  career  was 
brief,  it  was  signalized  by  the  adoption  of  a  system  which 
combined  the  moneyed  interests  of  the  entire  State  in  an  in- 
soluble league  of  mutual  dependence.  By  Mr.  Van  Buren's 
agency  the  system  was  afterward  introduced  into  the  national 
policy.  In  both  instances  it  proved  a  stupendous  failure. 

On  the  12tu  of  March,  1829,  Mr.  Van  Buren  resigned  the  office 
of  Governor  in  consequence  of  his  appointment  as  Secretary  of 
State  of  the  United  States.  He  had  thus  reached  an  important 
point  in  the  career  of  his  ambition.  His  eye  immediately  rested 
on  the  Presidency  as  a  prize  within  his  grasp.  Mr.  Calhoun, 
however,  the  Vice-President,  was  at  that  time  a  formidable 
rival,  and  it  was  necessary  to  supplant  him  in  his  hold  upon 
General  Jackson.  Mr.  Van  Buren  learned,  that  during  Presi- 
dent Monroe's  administration  Mr.  Calhoun,  then  Secretary  of 
War,  urged  upon  the  President  the  necessity  of  arresting  and 
trying  General  Jackson  for  his  proceedings  in  Florida  during 
the  Seminole  War.  This  information  was  employed  by  Mr. 
Van  Buren  and  his  friends  to  bring  about  a  rupture  between 
General  Jackson  and  Mr.  Calhoun.  The  scheme  was  successful, 
and  Mr.  Calhoun,  in  consequence,  resigned  the  Vice-Presidency. 

Soon  after  the  rupture  with  Mr.  Calhoun  the  public  mind  was 
disturbed  by  the  explosion  of  the  Cabinet.  Owing  to  a  lack  of 
harmony  the  President  requested  the  Cabinet  to  resign,  declar- 
ing that  its  members  had  come  together  as  a  unit,  and  he  was 
determined  to  reconstruct  it  of  entirely  new  material. 

General  Jackson's  confidence  ia  Mr.  Van  Buren  remained  un- 
shaken, and  in  1831  he  was  dispatched  as  minister  to  England 
to  succeed  Mr.  McLane.  On  the  meeting  of  Congress  in  De- 
cember he  was  nominated  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  for 
their  approbation,  but  was  rejected  by  that  body  in  consequence 
of  their  disapproval  of  the  instruction*  which  he  issued  while 
Secretary  of  State  to  our  Minister  in  England  in  reference  to  our 
Weet  India  trade. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  1832,  Mr.  Van  Buren  wao  nominated  as  a 
candidate  for  the  Vice-Presidency.  He  received  one  hundred 


180  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

and  eighty-nine  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-six  electoral  votes, 
and  was  accordingly  elected.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1833,  he 
was  inaugurated  as  Vice-President.  In  this  position  he  seldom 
obtained  the  opportunity  of  taking  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs.  The  most  remarkable  instance  that  occurred  during 
his  four  years'  term  as  Vice-President  was  in  reference  to  the 
incendiary  publication  bill  of  Mr.  Calhoun.  This  bill  contem- 
plated the  suppression  of  incendiary  documents  on  the  subject 
of  slavery,  through  the  agency  of  the  post-office.  On  its  pas- 
sage to  a  second  reading  there  was  a  tie  in  the  Senate.  The 
casting  vote  of  the  Vice-President  was  called  for,  and  was  given 
in  favor  of  the  bill.  At  its  next  stage  it  was  defeated  by  the 
votes  of  Senators  from  the  slave-holding  States. 

During  his  occupancy  of  the  office  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  for  his  opinion  on  public  affairs.  To  all 
such  questions  he  replied  without  hesitation  or  reserve,  declar- 
ing his  hostility  to  the  United  States  Bank,  to  a  system  of  inter- 
nal improvements,  and  a  complete  acquiescence  in  all  the 
views,  feelings  and  opinions  of  General  Jackson.  On  the  right 
of  interference  by  the  General  Government,  or  the  people  of  the 
non-slave-holding  States,  in  the  subject  of  slavery,  he  expressed 
himself  in  the  very  strongest  language. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1835,  the  Jackson  convention  for  the 
nomination  of  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  was  held  at  Balti- 
more. About  six  hundred  delegates  were  in  attendance.  On 
the  first  ballot  Mr.  Van  Buren  received  the  unanimous  votes  of 
the  convention  for  the  candidacy  ;  and  Richard  M.  Johnson,  of 
Kentucky,  was  subsequently  nominated  for  the  office  of  Vice- 
President.  These  nominations,  it  was  well  understood,  had  the 
express  approbation  of  General  Jackson.  So  ardent  indeed  was 
bis  approval,  that  to  carry  out  the  principles  of  his  administra- 
tion in  a  successor  on  whom  he  could  place  the  most  implicite 
reliance,  he  openly  and  warmly  advocated  Mr.  Van  Buren's  elec- 
tion. 

On  convassing  the  returns  of  electoral  votes  for  President  it 
was  ascertained  that  Martin  Van  Buren  had  received  167,  Daniel 
Webster  14,  General  William  H.  Harrison  93,  Hugh  L.  White 
36  and  Willie  P.  Mangum  11  votes.  There  was  no  choice  of 


MARTIN   VAN  BUREN.  181 

Vice-President  by  the  people.  The  two  highest  candidates  that 
went  before  the  Senate  were  ColonelJohnson,  of  Kentucky,  and 
Francis  Granger,  of  New  York.  Of  the  forty-nine  Senators 
present  at  the  time  of  balloting,  16  cast  their  votes  for  Mr. 
Granger,  and  33  for  Colonel  Johnson,  who  was  accordingly  de- 
clared to  be  elected. 

Mr.  Van  Buren  was  inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March,  and  on 
the  occasion  delivered  a  very  fine  address,  in  which  lie  rehearsed 
the  progress  of  our  institutions  through  all  the  trials  and  dangers 
which  usually  beset  nations  in  their  rise  and  progress. 

The  administration  of  President  Van  Buren  was  not  marked 
by  any  events  or  action  of  particular  importance.  He  had 
scarcely  taken  the  executive  chair  before  a  great  financial  em- 
barrassment overspread  the  country,  occasioning  such  a  dis- 
tressed condition  of  affairs  that  he  deemed  it  necessary  to  call 
together  the  representatives  of  the  people. 

There  was  also  a  misunderstanding  between  the  State  of 
Maino  and  Great  Britain  on  the  subject  of  the  boundary 
between  that  State  and  Canada,  which  for  a  time  made  a  rup- 
ture imminent  between  the  two  countries. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1841,  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office,  Mr.  Van  Burec  retired  to  his  country  seat,  and  although 
his  friends  and  admirers  on  several  occasions  sought  to  bring 
him,  officially  before  the  public,  he  never  again  filled  an  office 
in  the  gift  of  the  people,  but  in  a  dignified  and  honorable 
retirement  passed  his  remaining  years  on  earth  until  the  24th  of 
July,  1862,  when  he  was  summoned  in  a  ripe  old  age  to  his  final 
rest. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


When  a  man  can  proudly  refer  to  the  achievements  of  his 
fathers  it  stimulates  his  mind  to  be  worthy  of  such  a  parentage, 
and  urges  him  to  attempt  a  career  as  bright  and  glorious  as  that 
of  his  ancestry. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch,  William  Henry  Harrison,  the  ninth 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  descended  from  a  long  line 
of  patriots,  and  would  have  proved  recreant  to  the  best  blood  in 
America  had  he  been  less  heroic  than  they. 

He  was  born  on  the  9th  of  February,  1773,  at  Berkley,  on  the 
James  River,  Virginia,  about  twenty-five  miles  below  Rich- 
mond. His  father  was  Benjamin  Harrison,  a  delegate  to  the 
Continental  Congress  in  1774-5-6,  and  when  a  candidate  for  the 
presidency  of  the  Congress  he  urged  upon  his  fellow  members 
with  noble  generosity  and  modesty  that  they  should  elect  his 
rival,  John  Hancock,  and  with  the  ready  good  humor  charac- 
teristic of  him  he  seized  Mr.  Hancock  in  his  athletic  arms,  and, 
as  he  placed  him  in  the  presidential  chair,  he  said  to  the  mem- 
bers: '  We  will  show  Mother  Britain  how  little  we  care  for  her 
by  making  a  Massachusetts  man  whom  she  has  excluded  from 
pardon  by  public  proclamation  our  President." 

When  the  sacred  Declaration  of  Independence  was  drawn  up, 
Benjamin  Harrison  joined  the  patriot  fathers  and  signed  the 
immortal  document.  He  afterward  filled  the  executive  chair  of 
Virginia  at  a  time  when  the  energies  of  the  bold,  prompt  and 
daring  were  requisite  to  inspire  his  countrymen. 

William  Henry  Harrison  was  the  third  and  youngest  son,  and 
though  the  father  was  poor  in  this  world's  goods  the  son  re- 
ceived a  good  education  at  Hampden  Sydney  College,  and 
afterwards  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  medicine. 

He  was  about  to  graduate  as  a  physician  when  reports  of 


184  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

horrible  Indian  butcheries  in  the  frontier  settlements  and  the 
daring  deeds  of  his  countrymen  in  the  Western  wilds  roused  in 
him  the  desire  to  share  the  perils  of  his  country,  and  he  resolved 
to  join  the  frontier  army,  not  to  spread  plasters  and  sew  up 
gashes,  but  as  a  soldier  of  liberty. 

The  army  then  serving  in  the  West  under  General  St.  Clair 
had  been  raised  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  repeated  out- 
rages and  barbarities  of  the  Indians,  and  this  little  band  the 
young  student  resolved  to  join  and  serve  his  country  where  she 
most  needed  the  gallantry  of  her  sons.  His  design  being  ap- 
proved by  Washington,  who  had  also  been  a  warm  friend  of 
his  father,  he  received  from  the  Com  mander-in-Chief  an 
ensign's  commission  in  the  first  regiment  of  United  States 
Artillery,  then  stationed  at  Fort  Washington,  where  Cincinnati 
now  stands. 

In  1783  peace  was  concluded  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States,  yet  our  country  was  the  scene  of  war  and  blood- 
shed. During  the  Revolutionary  contest  most  of  the  Indian 
tribes  on  the  frontier  had  been  induced  to  take  up  arms  in  favor 
of  Great  Britain,  and  they  now  refused  to  lay  down  the 
hatchet.  A  few  of  the  tribes  entered  into  treaties  of  peace 
with  this  country,  but  those  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  per- 
sisted in  maintaining  their  barbarous  and  devastating  hostility. 
The  British,  in  defiance  of  a  solemn  treaty,  continued  to  hold 
military  posts  within  our  acknowledged  territory,  to  tamper 
with  the  tribes  in  our  limits,  and  faithlessly  to  supply  the  muni- 
tions of  war  to  be  used  against  a  civilized  people  at  peace  with 
them. 

The  defeat  of  Brigadier-General  Harmer  and  the  total 
destruction  of  his  gallant  army  by  hordes  of  savages  filled  the 
whole  frontier  with  apprehension  and  despair,  while  it  inspired 
the  Indians  with  renewed  confidence,  and,  flushed  with  victory, 
they  extended  their  barbarities  with  the  apparent  determina- 
tion to  annihilate  every  settler  on  the  border. 

A  new  army  was  immediately  required,  which  was  raised 
and  placed  under  command  of  Major  General  St.  Clair,  a  vet- 
eran of  the  Revolution.  The  new  army  marched  to  the  seat  of 
war  and  advanced  slo-vly  and  cautiously  toward  the  head  waters 


WILLIAM  HKNBY  HARRISON.  185 

of  the  Wabash,  opening  a  road  and  building  forts  at  suitable  dis- 
tances. By  the  first  of  November.  1791,  St.  Clair  found  himself 
in  the  midst  of  the  Indian  country  and  within  fifteen  miles  of 
the  Miami  villages.  On  the  4th,  about  daylight,  his  camp  was 
suddenly  attacked  by  an  immense  body  of  savages,  aided  by 
white  auxiliaries  from  Canada.  The  militia  occupying  the- front 
were  dismayed  by  the  impetuosity  and  violence  of  this  unex- 
pected attack,  and,  falling  back  upon  the  regulars,  threw  them 
into  confusion.  Twice  were  the  Indians  driven  back  by  des- 
perate charges,  but  while  they  gave  way  at  one  point  before  the 
bayonets  of  our  soldiers,  from  every  other  quarter  they  poured 
in  a  heavy  and  destructive  fire  upon  the  lines  until  the  whole 
army  was  thrown  into  the  greatest  confusion  and  a  most  dis- 
orderly retreat  ensued. 

For  several  miles  the  Indians  pursued  the  defeated  army,  and 
the  woods  were  literally  strewn  with  the  dead  and  dying.  The 
army  suffered  most  cruelly.  Of  fourteen  hundred  men  engaged, 
five  hundred  and  thirty-four  were  killed  and  three  hundred  and 
sixty  wounded. 

The  frequent  defeats  rendered  it  imperative  that  the  army 
should  be  placed  under  the  command  of  a  military  chief  of 
well-earned  reputation — a  cautious,  discreet,  brave  amd  ener- 
getic soldier — and  Washington  in  his  excellent  judgment 
selected  Anthony  Wayne,  who,  from  his  eventful  fortunes  and 
daring  adventures,  was  known  as  Mad  Anthony,  and  he  at  once 
received  orders  to  take  command  of  the  Western  Army. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1792,  General  Wayne  having  been  fur- 
nished by  the  Secretary  of  War  with  the  instructions  of  the 
President,  in  which  it  was  emphatically  expressed  that  another 
defeat  would  be  inexpressibly  ruinous  to  the  reputation  of  the 
government,  repaired  to  Pittsburgh,  the  place  appointed  for 
the  rendezvous  of  the  troops,  where  he  arrived  in  June..  The 
newly  organized  army  was  to  consist  of  one  Major-General, 
four  Brigadier  Generals,  their  respective  staffs  and  commis- 
sioned officers,  and  five  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty  non- 
commissioned officers  and  privates.  Most  of  the  experienced 
officers  having  been  killed  in  the  defeats  of  Harmer  and  St. 
Clair  or  resigned  their  commissions,  the  organization  of  the 


186  'LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

troops,  drill,  discipline,  etc.,  devolved  upon  the  General,  and  it 
was  almost  a  herculean  labor  to  bring  the  troops  up  to  the 
courage,  coolness  and  skill  necessary  for  an  encounter  with 
the  savages. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  country,  the  position  of  the 
army"  and  the  facts  he  encountered  when  Ensign  Harrison 
joined  his  regiment  at  Fort  Washington.  Young  Harrison 
reached  the  fort  directly  after  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair,  and  wit- 
nessed the  gathering  in  of  the  vanquished  and  disheartened 
troops,  while  the  savage  foe  ventured  almost  to  the  very  gates 
of  the  fort. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Fort  Washington  it  became  necessary 
to  dispatch  a  train  of  pack  horses  to  Fort  Hamilton,  about  thirty 
miles  distant  upon  the  Great  Miami.  This  train  in  charge  of  a 
body  of  soldiers  was  placed  under  command  of  our  boy  soldier. 
While  the  distance  was  short  the  thousands  of  lurking  savages 
in  the  forest  made  it  an  extremely  perilous  trip.  This  brave 
service  young  Harrison  performed  with  great  credit  to  himself, 
and  General  St.  Clair  openly  bestowed  upon  him  the  warmest 
praise  and  commendation.  He  rapidly  gained  the  entire  confi- 
dence of  his  officers  and  in  1792  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
lieutenant. 

In  May,  1792,  General  Wayne  repaired  to  Pittsburgh  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  his  army,  and  having  the  troops  in  condi- 
tion, by  the  27th  of  November  he  began  to  move  his  forces,  but 
when  only  twenty -two  miles  from  Pittsburgh  he  stopped  and 
encamped  for  the  winter  on  the  Ohio.  This  sagacious  plan  of 
the  General  was  for  the  purpose  of  familiarizing  his  army  with 
the  Indians,  who,  being  almost  all  the  time  near  the  post,  kept 
the  officers  and  soldiers  on  the  alert  and  the  numerous  skir- 
mishes gave  them  practice  in  Indian  warfare.  Having  procured 
a  suitable  number  of  boats  for  the  purpose,  he  broke  up  his 
winter  camp  on  the  30th  of  April,  1793,  and  conveyed  his  army 
down  the  river  to  Fort  Washington,  where  Lieutenant  Harrison 
joined  the  legion. 

Remaining  in  his  quarters  until  the  7th  of  October,  he  com- 
menced a  march,  and  sis  days  after  took  up  a  position  on  the 
southwest  branch  of  the  Miami,  six  miles  beyond  Fort  Jeffer- 


WILLIAM  HENRY   HARBISON.  187 

son  and  eighty  from  Fort  Washington.  To  this  position  he 
gave  the  name  of  Greenville,  and  fortified  it  so  as  to  render  it 
perfectly  secure  and  impregnable  to  any  force  which  could  pos- 
sibly be  brought  against  him  in  the  \vilderness. 

On  the  23d  of  December  a  detachment  of  artillery  and  in- 
fantry was  dispatched  to  take  possession  of  the  ground  upon 
which  St.  Clair  and  his  gallant  army  had  been  so  terribly  de- 
feated two  years  before.  Lieutenant  Harrison  eagerly  volun- 
teered for  this  service.  The  battle-field  was  taken  possession 
of,  and  a  fortification,  called  Fort  Recovery,  erected.  On.  the 
return  of  the  troops  Lieutenant  Harrison  was  specially  thanked 
for  his  voluntary  services. 

When  young  Harrison  first  entered  the  army  bib  slight  frame 
and  delicate  appearance  led  all  to  believe  that  he  could  not 
endure  the  hardships  of  a  soldier's  life.  "I  would  as  soon 
have  thought  of  putting  my  wife  in  the  service  as  this  boy," 
wrote  an  old  soldier  of  St.  Clair ;  ' '  but  I  have  been  out  with 
him,  and  I  find  those  smooth  cheeks  are  on  a  wise  head  and 
that  slight  frame  is  almost  as  tough  as  my  own  weather-beaten 
carcass." 

In  July,  1794,  General  Scott  again  joined  the  army  with  his 
daring  mounted  volunteers  from  Kentucky,  and  on  the  8th  of 
August  General  Wayne  advanced  about  seventy  miles  beyond 
Greenville,  and  occupied  a  position  at  Grand  Glaize,  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  hostile  tribes.  Having  erected  a  fortress  at  the 
confluence  of  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes  and  the  Au  Glaize,  called 
Fort  Defiance,  General  Wayne  was  prepared  for  action  at  any 
moment,  although  he  gave  the  Indians  another  opportunity  to 
abandon  hostilities,  which  they  rejected. 

On  the  15th  of  August  the  army  advanced  from  Grand 
Glaize  and  arrived  at  Roche  de  Bout  on  the  18th.  At  8  o'clock 
on  the  20lh  the  army  again  advanced  in  columns,  after  having 
reconnoitered  the  position  of  the  enemy  behind  a  thick  wood 
and  the  British  fort,  and  after  some  excellent  manceuverings 
by  the  commands  under  the  brigadier-generals,  a  general  en- 
gagement was  entered  into,  which  resulted  in  the  overwhelm- 
ing defeat  of  the  Indians  and  Canadian  militia.  On  the  return 
of  the  army  to  Grand  Glaize  they  destroyed  the  Indian  villages 


188  LIVES   OF    OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

and  corn  fields  for  about  fifty  miles  on    each  side    of   the 
Miami. 

In  this  successful  engagement  Lieutenant  Harrison  acted  as 
aide,  and  was  constantly  exposed  in  dispatching  orders  to  almost 
every  part  of  the  field,  and  Wayne's  campaign  was  an  admira- 
ble school  for  the  young  and  daring  soldier. 

On  January  1st,  1795,  the  Indians  opened  a  negotiation  for 
peace,  agreeing  to  surrender  all  captives,  to  ratify  all  former 
treaties  and  to  comply  with  such  general  terms  as  should  be 
imposed  by  General  Wayne.  The  news  of  Wayne's  victory 
reaching  England,  enabled  Mr.  Jay  to  conclude  most  advanta- 
geously for  our  Government  the  negotiation  which  had  long 
been  pending  between  him  and  Lord  Grenville. 

At  the  close  of  the  campaign,  Lieutenant  Harrison  was  pro- 
moted to  a  captaincy,  and  placed  in  command  of  Fort  Wash- 
ington. While  there  he  married  the  daughter  of  John  Cleves 
Symines,  the  founder  of  the  Miami  settlements. 

On  the  death  of  General  Wayne,  in  1797,  Captain  Harrison 
left  the  army,  and  received  his  first  civil  appointment  as  Secre- 
tary of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  and  ex  officio  Lieutenant- 
Governor.  The  year  following  the  Northwestern  Territory  was 
entitled  to  representation  by  a  delegate  to  Congress,  and  Mr. 
Harrison  was  chosen  as  their  first  delegate. 

He  soon  offered  a  resolution  for  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee to  investigate  and  report  upon  the  existing  manner  of 
disposing  of  public  lands.  Of  this  committee  he  was  selected 
chairman.  He  shortly  after  reported  upon  his  resolution,  and 
also  presented  a  bill,  the  main  clause  of  which  reduced  the  size 
of  tracts  from  four  thousand  acres  to  alternate  half  and  quarter 
sections,  or  alternate  tracts  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  The  report  accompanying  the 
bill  gave  a  clear  and  distinct  view  of  the  true  position  of  the 
population  of  his  Territory,  and  the  great  disadvantage  under 
which  the  people  labored.  It  gained  for  the  new  delegate  a 
reputation  unprecedented  for  so  young  a  man.  He  defended 
this  bill  eloquently  against  much  opposition,  and  secured  its 
passage  in  the  House,  but  the  Senate  refused  to  pass  it,  and  a 
compromise  was  made  by  which  the  public  lands  were  there- 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON.  189 

after  to  be  sold  in  tracts  of  six  hundred  and  forty  and  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres. 

Mr.  Harrison  next  offered  a  resolution  changing  the  manner 
of  treating  military  land  warrants,  resulting  in  the  passage  of 
a  proper  bill. 

Thus  early  in  life  we  find  Mr.  Harrison  contending  manfully 
for  the  rights  of  the  people,  and  practicing  upon  the  noble 
principles  laid  down  by  his  distinguished  father.  The  success 
of  the  delegate  was  manifest  throughout  the  whole  North- 
western country  and  gained  him  great  popularity,  resulting  in 
the  settlers  forwarding  a  great  number  of  petitions  requesting 
the  President  to  appoint  Mr.  Harrison  Governor  of  the  North- 
western Territory. 

About  this  time,  however,  that  which  is  now  the  State  of 
Ohio  was  created  a  Territory  by  itself,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
Northwestern  Teritory  received  the  name  of  Indiana,  and  Mr. 
Harrison,  at  the  almost  universal  request  of  the  inhabitants,  was 
appointed  by  the  President  Governor  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana. 
This  territory  was  at  that  time  a  vast  domain,  including  the 
whole  territory  of  the  United  States  beyond  the  Mississippi  and 
Ohio,  and  from  1803  to  1805  the  whole  of  upper  Louisiana  was 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  Governor  Harrison. 

Mr.  Jefferson  soon  after  this  appointed  Governor  Harrison 
sole  commisioner  for  treating  with  the  Indians.  He  conducted 
this  trust  with  great  discretion  and  acquired  an  uncommon  in- 
fluence over  the  Indians,  and  in  one  treaty  he  secured  to  the 
United  States  fifty-one  millions  of  acres  of  the  richest  country 
in  the  West. 

Governor  Harrison  brought  suit  against  a  person  who  had 
thrown  out  malicious  hints  in  reference  to  his  negotiations  with 
the  Indians.  The  charges  were  so  unfounded  that  the  jury 
returned  a  verdict  of  four  thousand  dollars  damages  for  the 
Governor.  This  was  an  enormous  verdict  for  a  new  country, 
but  Governor  Harrison,  after  buying  in  the  defendant's  prop- 
erty at  the  sale,  returned  two-thirds  of  it  to  his  slanderer  and 
gave  the  remainder  to  the  orphans  of  some  soldiers  who  had 
fallen  in  battle.  So  conscientious  was  Governor  Harrison  that 
he  refused  to  receive  fees  for  Indian  licenses  and  a  great  part  of 


190  LIVES  OF  OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

the  compensation  as  commissioner,  and  declined  to  become 
interested  in  land  purchases  which  he  could  have  secured  in 
his  official  capacity,  although  he  could  have  amassed  a  splendid 
fortune  by  so  doing. 

Governor  Harrison  labored  earnestly  to  prevent  the  sale  of 
spirituous  liquor  among  the  Indians.  In  this  he  was  earnestly 
assisted  by  Little  Turtle,  the  chief  of  the  Miama  tribe. 

In  the  year  1806  two  noted  Indian  characters  began  to  disturb 
the  whole  frontier.  These  were  Tecumseh  and  his  brother, 
who,  as  a  prophet,  possessed  great  influence  over  the  Indians. 
These  brothers  conceived  the  project  of  uniting  all  the  Eastern 
tribes  in  a  terrible  war  against  the  Americans. 

In  the  summer  of  1810  Tecumseh  visited  Governor  Harrison 
at  Vincennes,  accompanied  by  over  three  hundred  warriors, 
completely  armed,  for  the  purpose  of  intimidating  the  Gov- 
ernor. Tecumseh  made  an  exciting  speech,  to  which  General 
Harrison  replied  with  a  convincing  argument  that  enraged 
Tecumseh,  and  springing  from  the  ground  he  exclaimed  :  "  It 
is  false  !"  and  at  a  signal  to  his  band  every  man  leaped  up  and 
seized  his  war  club,  while  Tecumseh  advanced  upon  the  Gov- 
ernor, tomahawk  in  hand.  The  situation  was  extremely  peril- 
ous, and  had  Governor  Harrison  shown  a  particle  of  fear  he 
would  probably  have  been  killed.  But  he  firmly  rebuked 
Tecumseh  for  his  conduct  and  ordered  him  to  leave  the  settle- 
ment. The  next  morning  the  haughty  chief  returned,  and, 
apologizing  for  his  insult,  desired  that  the  council  might  be 
renewed.  At  this  second  meeting  Tecumseh  acted  with  per- 
fect respect. 

Soon  after  this  Tecumseh  withdrew  to  the  Prophet's  town,  and 
in  a  few  months  more  information  reached  Vincennes  that  a 
thousand  warriors  were  assembled  at  Tippecanoe,  and  soon  after 
this  Tecumseh  went  south  to  stir  up  the  Indians  in  that  local- 
ity and  send  them  to  join  his  brother  at  the  Prophet's  town, 
which  was  the  grand  centre  of  all  the  Indians  who  were  pre- 
paring for  war.  Called  together  for  the  express  purpose  of 
attacking  the  whites,  they  became  restless  and  impatient.  Their 
savage  habits  could  bear  no  restraint,  nor  did  the  Prophet 
attempt  to  control  them  in  their  lawless  desires.  Parties  roved 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON.  191 

about  the  country,  and  scarcely  rose  the  eun  but  his  rays  fell 
upon  the  mangled  bodies  of  helpless  women  and  children  and 
the  smoking  ruins  of  the  settlers'  cabins. 

These  outrages  could  no  longer  be  borne,  and  Governor  Har- 
rison, at  his  own  earnest  solicitation  and  the  repeated  petitions 
of  the  people,  in  1811  received  directions  from  the  President  to 
march  against  the  Prophet's  town  with  an  armed  force.  The 
news  of  the  Governor's  authority  to  march  against  the  Indians 
was  met  with  rapture  through  the  whole  West,  particularly  in 
Kentucky.  The  people  had  suffered  so  long,  and  so  many  bar- 
barities had  been  practiced  upon  the  settlers,  that  they  burned 
for  revenge  and  hi  crowds  volunteered  their  services  for  the 
dangerous  business. 

The  army  raised  amounted  to  a  little  over  nine  hundred  men, 
but  they  were  a  gallant  band,  and  Governor  Harrison  drilled 
them  on  General  Wayne's  system.  The  army  commenced  its 
march  from  Fort  Harrisen,  on  the  Wabash,  about  sixty  miles 
above  Vincennes,  on  the  28th  of  October,  and  on  their  march  to 
Tippecanoe  were  encamped  in  order  of  battle,  and  moved  so  that 
they  could  form  for  action  almost  instantly,  while  five  friendly 
Indians  and  a  Frenchman  acting  as  scouts  were  kept  out  con- 
stantly, as  well  as  advance  guards  to  prevent  the  main  body 
from  savage  ambuscade. 

On  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  November  the  army  encamped 
within  nine  or  ten  miles  of  Tippecanoe,  and  the  march  on  the 
next  day  was  conducted  with  the  greatest  caution  to  avoid  a 
surprise.  Having  reached  a  favorable  spot  for  an  encampment 
within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  town,  the  Governor  determined 
to  remain  there  and  fortify  his  position.  Soon  after  the  Prophet 
sent  out  three  messengers,  saying  he  wished  to  avoid  hostilities 
and  desired  that  a  council  be  held  the  next  day  to  agree  on 
terms  of  peace.  Governor  Harrison,  consenting  to  this,  moved 
his  army  toward  the  Wabash  to  encamp  for  the  night,  the 
place  selected  being  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  Tippe- 
canoe. On  the  night  of  the  6th  of  November  the  troops  went  to 
rest,  as  usual,  with  their  clothes  and  accoutrements  and  their 
arms  by  their  side.  On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  at  about  four 
o'clock,  Governor  Harrison  had  just  risen  and  was  waiting  for 


192  LIVES    OF    OUK   PRESIDENTS. 

the  signal  which,  in  a  few  moments,  would  be  given  for  the 
troops  to  turn  out,  when  an  attack  by  the  Indians  commenced. 
The  treacherous  savages  had  crept  up  intending  to  kill  the  sen- 
tries before  they  could  shoot,  but  one  of  them  discovered  an 
Indian  creeping  toward  him  in  the  grass  and  fired.  This  was 
immediately  followed  by  the  Indian  yell  and  a  desperate  charge 
upon  the  left  flank.  The  manner  of  the  attack  was  calculated 
to  discourage  and  terrify  the  men,  yet  they  maintained  their 
ground  with  desperate  valor,  and  after  many  brave  officers  and 
men  were  killed  and  the  Governor's  aide  was  shot  down  by  his 
side,  the  troops  succeeded  in  driving  the  Indians  into  the  swamp 
where  the  cavalry  could  not  follow  them,  and  thus  ended  the 
battle,  with  the  victory  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  Governor's 
gallant  army. 

At  the  time  of  the  battle  Tecumseh  was  still  at  the  south, 
and  when  he  returned  was  much  exasperated,  surprised  and 
mortified  at  the  conduct  of  the  Prophet.  He  saw  at  once  that 
he  must  take  a  decided  stand,  and  he  did  so  at  once  in  favor  of 
the  British.  The  defeat  of  the  Indians  and  their  loss  of  life 
had  opened  their  eyes  with  respect  to  the  power  of  the  Proph- 
et. The  blow  had  been  struck  too  soon. 

The  whole  of  the  day  of  the  battle  was  occupied  in  fortifying 
the  camp,  burying  the  dead  and  assisting  the  wounded.  On 
the  8th  the  town  was  reconnoitered.  It  was  well  fortified, 
but  totally  deserted,  the  Indians  having  abandoned  all  their 
provisions  and  household  utensils.  On  the  9th  the  army  pre- 
pared to  return.  At  the  block-house  on  the  Wabash  the 
wounded  were  placed  in  boats,  while  the  rest  of  the  army  con- 
tinued their  way  to  Vincennes  by  land. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  1812,  war  was  declared  against  Great 
Britain  by  the  United  States.  In  expectation  of  a  war  the 
English  had  inflamed  the  minds  of  tha  Indians,  and  their  bar- 
barities now  became  more  frequent  and  more  alarming.  The 
settlers  deserted  their  farms  and  fled  to  Vincennes  with  their 
families,  to  the  protection  of  Governor  Harrison. 

The  cowardly  surrender  of  Detroit  by  Hull  left  not  a  fort  in 
our  hands  upon  the  upper  lakes,  nor  any  regular  force.  Such 
was  the  situation  on  our  Northern  border  when  Governor  Har- 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARBISON.  193 

rison  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Northwestern 
army.  This  conferred  on  General  Harrison  the  most  extensive 
and  important  command  ever  intrusted  to  any  officer  of  the 
United  States,  Washington  and  Greene  only  excepted. 

General  Harrison  now  proceeded  to  St.  Mary's  and  Defiance, 
where  he  found  General  Winchester  encamped.  The  march 
was  forced,  without  tents,  and  all  shared  alike  the  hardships  of 
the  season.  One  evening  they  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the 
AuGlaizein  a  beech  bottom,  where  the  rain  fell  in  torrents 
during  the  whole  night.  There  were  no  axes  in  the  army,  and, 
without  fire,  many  sat  upon  their  saddles  and  others  leaned 
against  trees  or  crept  beneath  fallen  logs.  Being  separated 
from  the  baggage,  the  troops  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink  and 
some  began  to  murmur.  General  Harrison  sat  at  a  small  fire 
wrapped  in  his  cloak  and  drenched  to  the  skin  with  the 
falling  torrent.  To  set  an  example  to  his  staff  and  the  soldiers 
he  called  upon  one  of  the  officers  to  sing  an  Irish  comic  song. 
Another  song  followed  in  which  the  chorus  was  : 

"  Now 's  the  time  for  mirth  and  glee, 
Sing  and  laugh  and  dance  with  me." 

The  spirit  thus  shown  at  headquarters  spread  through  all  the 
troops,  and  frequently  when  wading  knee-deep  in  the  mud, 
some  noble  souls  would  sing  out  : 

"  Now's  the  time  for  mirth  and  glee  "— 

and  the  chorus  would  be  repeated  by  the  whole  line. 

The  objects  of  the  present  campaign  were  to  retake  Detroit 
and  expel  the  British  from  the  territory  of  the  United  States, 
to  protect  the  extensive  frontier  and  reduce  Maiden  in  Upper 
Canada.  The  General  drew  up  his  plan  of  operations  at  the 
outset,  and  selected  the  Rapids  of  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes  as 
the  point  of  concentration,  while  the  military  base  extended 
from  upper  Sandusky  to  Fort  Defiance.  General  Harrison  at 
this  time  advised  the  building  of  vessels  to  contend  with  the 
English  upon  the  lakes,  and  the  wisdom  of  his  suggestion  was 
evinced  by  our  repeated  naval  victories. 

On  the  3d  of  September  a  body  of  Kickapoos  and  Winne- 
bagos  attempted  to  gain  admission  to  Fort  Harrison,  but  Cap- 


194  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

tain  Zachary  Taylor,  the  commander,  kept  the  garrieon  on  the 
alert,  and  when  the  assault  was  made,  gallantly  repulsed  the 
enemy.  Foiled  in  this,  the  savages  fell  upon  the  settlements 
and  cruelly  tortured  men,  women  and  children.  To  check  these 
outrages  General  Harrison  and  General  Hopkins,  in  November, 
moved  against  the  Indians  on  the  Mohawk,  destroying  the 
Prophet's  town  and  a  Kickapoo  and  Winnebago  village.  About 
the  same  time  Governor  Edwards,  of  Illinois,  and  Colonel 
Russel  destroyed  the  principal  village  of  the  Kickapoos  at 
Peoria  Lake  and  killed  a  large  number  of  warriors. 

General  Harrison  had  directed  General  Winchester  to  advance 
to  the  Rapids.  Having  heard  subsequently  that  Tecumseh  had 
collected  a  large  force  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Wabash,  Gen- 
eral Harrison  sent  another  dispatch  to  General  Winchester, 
ordering  him  to  fall  back  with  the  greater  part  of  his  force,  but 
Winchester  had  begun  his  march,  reaching  the  Rapids  on  the 
10th  of  January,  where  he  fortified  a  good  position.  General 
Harrison  became  very  uneasy  upon  learning  that  General  Win- 
chester was  meditating  a  movement  against  the  enemy,  as 
Colonel  Elliot  was  expected  from  Maiden  with  a  detachment 
of  British  and  Indians  to  attack  the  camp  at  the  Rapids. 
Colonel  Lewis  was  sent  forward,  and  found  the  enemy  pre- 
pared to  meet  him  at  Frenchtown.  Here  a  desperate  but 
short  engagement  took  place,  and  the  English  were  driven  for 
two  miles. 

Instead  of  retiring  after  this  brilliant  affair,  Lewis  held  pos- 
session of  the  town.  During  the  night  of  the  21st  the  British 
had  come  up  unobserved,  and  at  daylight  opened  fire  with 
heavy  artillery,  which  compelled  a  body  of  reinforcements  to 
flee  across  the  river.  In  the  disorderly  retreat  the  Indians 
gained  our  flank  and  rear  and  butchered  our  soldiers  most 
shockingly.  In  this  engagement  General  Winchester,  who  had 
marched  to  Lewis'  assistance,  was  taken  prisoner,  and  the 
troops  in  the  town  were  at  last  forced  to  surrender. 

Ou  hearing  of  the  unauthorized  movements  of  Winchester 
and  his  command,  General  Harrison  at  once  dispatched  troops 
to  prevent  a  disaster,  not  knowing  that  an  engagement  had 
been  fought,  and  almost  immediately  afterward  General  Har- 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON.  195 

rison  started  for  the  Rapids,  where  he  learned  of  the  unfor- 
tunate results  of  Winchester's  action. 

General  Harrison  having  heard  that  the  enemy  intended  an 
expedition  against  Camp  Meigs,  hastened  to  the  scene  of 
expected  action,  and  reached  the  camp  on  the  24th  of  April. 
The  British  took  up  a  position  about  two  miles  from  Camp 
Meigs,  on  the  opposite  shore,  while  the  Indians  landed  on  this 
side  and  surrounded  the  American  camp.  For  five  days  the 
enemy  threw  a  continuous  shower  of  bullets,  but  with  very 
little  effect.  During  the  hottest  of  the  engagement  Harrison 
ordered  Colonel  Miller  to  charge  the  enemy's  batteries  on  this 
side  the  river.  This  charge  was  gallantly  made ;  the  English 
were  driven  off  and  their  guns  spiked,  and  forty -one  soldiers 
were  made  prisoners.  Dudley  had  been  sent  at  the  same  time 
to  charge  the  enemy's  batteries  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  Dudley  charged  at  full  speed  and  pulled  down  the  Brit- 
ish flag  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  General  Harrison  made 
signals  for  Dudley  to  retire,  but  they  loitered  until  the  enemy 
rallied,  and  in  the  retreat  Dudley  and  most  of  his  men  were 
taken  prisoners  and  brutally  murdered  by  the  savages  in  the 
presence  of  the  infamous  Proctor,  who  made  no  attempt  to 
stay  the  massacre  of  the  unarmed  prisoners.  Proctor  sent  a 
summons  to  Harrison  to  surrender  Fort  Meigs.  The  General 
replied  that  the  message  was  an  affront  which,  must  not  be 
repeated,  and  on  the  8th  Proctor  acknowledged  that  he  was 
beaten,  by  raising  the  siege. 

General  Harrison,  soon  after  this,  determined  to  push  the  war 
into  the  enemy's  territory,  and  the  artillery,  stores,  and  pro- 
visions were  embarked  on  the  16th  of  September,  and  on  the 
20th  to  24th  the  army  followed  to  the  place  of  rendezvous  at 
Put-in-Bay.  Perry's  victory  and  Harrison's  advance  had  cooled 
Proctor  so  much  that,  burning  the  fort  and  navy-yard  at  Mai- 
den, he  fled,  and  Harrison's  army  encamped  on  the  ruins. 

On  October  5th,  General  Harrison  overtook  Proctor  in  an  ex- 
cellent position,  with  his  left  flanked  by  the  River  Thames  and 
his  right  by  a  swamp.  Still  further  to  the  right  Tecumseh  was 
posted  with  his  Indians.  Proctor  formed  his  men  in  open 
order.  This  gave  Harrison  the  opportunity  to  break  his  lines 


196  LIVES   OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

with  cavalry,  and  he  immediately  ordered  Colonel  Johnson  to 
dash  through  the  enemy's  line  with  his  mounted  men. 

The  command  was  brilliantly  executed.  The  mounted  men 
charged  impetuously  through  the  enemy's  ranks,  formed  in 
their  rear,  and  attacked  their  broken  lines.  The  British  threw 
down  their  arms,  and  an  almost  bloodless  victory  was  obtained 
by  the  ease  and  rapidity  with  which  General  Harrison 
manoeuvred  his  army.  The  Indians  rushed  upon  the  mounted 
men  in  the  fiercest  desperation,  while  Tecumseh  pressed  eagerly 
into  the  hottest  of  the  contest,  until  suddenly  his  cry  of  com- 
mand was  hushed,  and  the  doughty  chief  was  dead.  His  men 
now  fled,  leaving  thirty-three  dead  on  the  field. 

Thus  ended  the  battle.  The  entire  force  of  the  enemy  was 
captured,  except  a  few  that  galloped  off  with  Proctor.  This 
brilliant  victory,  following  so  closely  on  Perry's  glorious  battle, 
closed  the  war  in  that  quarter  and  rescued  the  whole  North- 
western frontier  from  the  barbarities  of  the  savages 

Harrison's  victory  on  the  Thames  was  celebrated  with  illu- 
minations throughout  the  entire  country,  and  grand  ovations 
greeted  the  hero  wherever  he  went. 

On  the  25th  of  April  General  Harrison  resigned  his  commis- 
sion. Here  ended  his  brilliant  and  glorious  military  career. 
For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  had  been  a  prominent  actor 
in  the  battles  of  his  country,  and  when  he  could  no  longer  serve 
her  in  the  field,  he  gave  up  his  commission  and  retired  to  private 
life. 

In  1814  General  Harrison  was  appointed,  with  Governor 
Shelby  and  General  Cass,  to  treat  with  the  Western  Indians, 
and  after  the  peace  with  Great  Britain,  in  1815,  he  was  placed 
at  the  head  of  another  commission. 

In  1816  he  was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  Congress,  and  also 
for  two  years  succeeding. 

In  1819  General  Harrison  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Senate 
of  Ohio.  Here  he  served  two  years. 

In  1822  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress,  but  lost  his  election 
in  consequence  of  having  voted  against  the  Missouri  restriction, 

In  1824  General  Harrison  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON.  197 

In  1828  he  was  appointed  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the 
Republic  of  Colombia,  but  one  of  Jackson's  first  acts  upon 
taking  the  Presidential  chair  was  to  recall  General  Harrison. 

He  now  retired  to  his  farm  at  North  Bend  and  devoted  him- 
self to  the  cultivation  of  his  property. 

In  1836  he  was  taken  up  by  a  portion  of  the  States  and  run 
in  opposition  to  Martin  Van  Buren  for  the  Presidency.  It  can 
scarcely  be  said  that  there  was  any  concentrated  action  among 
the  opposition,  nor  was  he  taken  up  until  within  a  few  months 
of  the  election,  and  yet  he  received  seventy-two  electoral  votes, 
while  Mr.  Van  Buren  became  President. 

In  1840  General  Harrison  was  again  nominated  by  the  Whig 
party  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  as  a  candidate  against 
Martin  Van  Buren.  The  campaign  of  that  year  was  one  of  the 
most  spirited  ever  conducted  in  this  country,  and  popular 
enthusiasm  ran  wild  over  the  hero  of  Tippecanoe  and  the 
Thames.  Campaign  songs  of 

"  Tippecanoe 
And  Tyler  too," 

were  sung  by  every  Whig  schoolboy  in  the  land,  as  well  as  by 
the  stalwart  voters.  Grand  processions  marched  in  every 
county,  and  at  every  barbecue  and  public  meeting  the  typical 
log  cabin  and  barrel  of  cider  were  sure  to  be  seen.  Long 
before  the  election  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  a  popular 
furor  for  General  Harrison  was  carrying  everything  before  it, 
and  although  General  Jackson  threw  all  his  influence  against 
Harrison,  he  was  elected  by  an  overwhelming  popular  vote, 
receiving  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  electoral  votes,  while 
Mr.  Van  Buren  had  but  sixty. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1841,  General  Harrison  was  inaugurated 
President,  and  for  one  short  month  gave  every  evidence  of  a 
glorious  and  statesmanlike  administration.  But  at  the  end  of 
that  month,  on  the  4th  of  April,  having  been  seized  by  a  sudden 
and  fatal  illness  a  few  days  before,  he  was  gathered  to  his 
fathers,  leaving  behind  as  his  last  words  the  noble  sentiment 
addressed  to  Mr.  Tyler: 

"  Sir,  I  wish  you  to  understand  the  principles  of  the  govern- 
ment. I  wish  them  carried  out ;  I  ask  nothing  more." 


JOHN  TYLER. 


John  Tyler  was  the  first  Vice-President  of  the  United  States 
who  became  President  by  the  death  of  the  chief  executive. 
Having  been  elected  on  the  ticket  with  General  Harrison,  in 
just  one  month  after  the  inauguration  death  called  him  to  the 
Presidential  chair. 

Like  most  of  the  early  Presidents,  he  was  born  in  Virginia, 
the  light  of  this  world  having  dawned  upon  him  in  Charles 
City  County,  in  that  State,  on  the  29th  of  March,  1790.  Having 
been  blessed  with  the  ample  wealth  of  his  father,  his  early  life 
was  full  of  all  the  pleasures  and  advantages  that  youth  could 
desire.  Such  attention  had  been  paid  to  his  early  education 
that  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  completed  his  collegiate  course 
at  William  and  Mary  College.  Immediately  entering  upon  the 
study  of  law,  he  had  completed  the  course,  and  began  practice 
by  the  time  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  For  one  so  young  his 
professional  progress  was  wonderful,  and  a  heavy  practice 
flowed  in  to  him  from  the  very  start. 

At  the  age  of  twenty -one  he  had  so  attracted  public  attention 
that  he  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  State  Legi-lature,  to 
which  he  was  returned  upon  five  succeeding  elections,  where 
he  made  himself  popular  by  espousing  the  principles  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Madison. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Congress  as  a  Democrat.  Here  he 
advocated  and  labored  for  all  the  principles  of  his  party,  until 
during  his  second  term  he  was  compelled  by  the  state  of  his 
health  to  resign  and  return  to  his  country  home. 

He  had  scarcely  begun  to  enjoy  his  rest  when  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature. 

Such  was  his  rapid  progress  in  public  esteem  and  such  the 


200  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

appreciation  for  his  sound  statesmanship,  that  in  1825  he  was 
elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  having  received  the  compliment 
of  a  large  majority  over  the  opposing  candidate.  In  this  high 
position  of  honor  and  trust,  as  in  previous  ones,  his  services 
were  such  as  to  secure  his  re-election. 

Soon  after  this  his  party  elected  him  to  the  United  States 
Senate  over  John  Randolph,  -who  had  previously  occupied  that 
seat.  Mr.  Tyler,  upon  being  elected,  expressed  the  following 
sentiments : 

"  The  principles  on  which  I  have  acted,  without  abandon- 
ment in  any  one  instance  for  the  last  sixteen  years,  in  Congress 
and  in  the  legislative  hall  of  this  State,  will  be  the  principles 
by  which  I  shall  regulate  my  future  political  life." 

Mr.  Tyler  began  his  duties  as  Senator  by  the  most  earnest 
opposition  to  all  the  political  principles  of  the  President,  John 
Quincy  Adams. 

On  the  question  of  nullification  he  took  sides  with  Calhoun. 
This  placed  him  so  much  in  opposition  to  Jackson  during  his 
administration,  that  it  resulted  in  Mr.  Tyler's  retirement  from 
the  Senate. 

On  returning  to  Virginia  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  in 
addition  to  which  he  was  again  returned  to  the  State  Legisla- 
ture. About  this  time  party  lines  had  so  changed  that  Mr. 
Tyler  found  himself  in  the  ranks  of  what  were  then  termed 
Southern  Whigs,  which  might  be  described  as  a  compromise 
between  the  Democrats  and  the  true  Whigs. 

In  1839  he  was  sent  by  this  new  party  as  a  delegate  to  nomi- 
nate a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  at  the  national  convention 
at  Harrisburg.  In  this  convention  General  Harrison  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  Presidency  and  John  Tyler  for  the  Vice-Presi- 
dency. 

The  grand  and  enthusiastic  campaign  which  followed,  re- 
sulting in  the  election  of  Harrison  and  Tyler,  can  never  be 
forgotten. 

In  1841  Mr.  Tyler  was  inaugurated  Vice-President,  and  in  one 
month  after  President  Harrison  died,  leaving  Mr.  Tyler  to 
occupy  the  vacant  chair. 

After  his  inauguration  Mr.   Tyler  found  himself  in  strange 


JOHN  TYLEK.  201 

opposition  to  the  party  which  had  elected  him,  and  almost  im- 
mediately antagonisms  sprang  up.  His  first  extreme  measure 
was  to  veto  the  bill  passed  by  the  Whigs  for  the  establishment 
of  a  United  States  fiscal  bank.  The  breach  was  made  wider  by 
Mr.  Tyler  suggesting  a  bill  which  he  would  approve.  This  bill, 
after  being  drawn  up  and  announced  by  him  as  satisfactory, 
was  passed.  Then  he  vetoed  it.  His  friends  claimed  that  he  was 
led  to  this  action  by  a  sarcastic  letter  from  John  M.  Botts,  of 
Virginia,  published  in  the  newspapers. 

Being  denounced  by  the  Whig  party,  who  had  elected  him, 
he  now  turned  to  his  old  party,  the  Democrats.  The  Whig 
members  of  his  Cabinet  resigned,  and  Mr.  Tyler  was  denounced 
in  public  meetings  of  the  party. 

The  position  was  a  most  unpleasant  one  to  Mr.  Tyler,  and  he 
attempted  to  follow  a  conservative  policy  by  selecting  his 
Cabinet  from  both  parties.  This  naturally  gave  offense  to  the 
Democrats  without  securing  the  confidence  of  the  Whigs. 

His  entire  administration  was  a  series  of  conflicts  with  one 
party  or  the  other ;  in  his  efforts  to  please  both  he  pleased 
neither,  and  in  his  endeavor  to  conciliate  one  he  stirred  up  the 
wrath  of  the  other. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  Mr.  Tyler,  after  having  labored 
earnestly  for  the  election  of  James  K.  Polk  as  his  successor, 
stepped  down  from  the  executive  chair  of  the  nation  and  passed 
out  of  politics  with  evidently  a  f eeling  of  great  relief  both  to 
the  public  and  himself. 

Having  the  misfortune  to  have  lost  his  first  wife  in  1843,  he 
bad  again  married  in  1844.  and  was  passing  the  days  of  his 
retirement  with  a  young  and  beautiful  companion  who  more 
than  recompensed  him  for  all  the  vanities  of  political  life. 

We  cannot  close  the  short  biography  of  his  life  without 
recording  one  more  political  era  in  his  eventful  history.  When 
the  Southern  States  attempted  to  secede  from  the  Union  and 
raised  the  bold  arm  of  rebellion,  Mr.  Tyler,  true  to  his  old 
nullification  principles,  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy 
and  was  elected  to  their  Congress.  It  was  while  thus  engaged 
that  he  sickened  and  died,  leaving  a  still  more  unenviable 
memory  by  this  last  political  action  of  his  lif  e. 


JAMES  K.   POLK. 


James  Knox  Polk  was  born  in  Mecklenburg  County,  North 
Carolina,  on  the  3d  of  November,  1795,  and  was  the  oldest  of 
ten  children.  His  father  was  Samuel  Polk,  a  son  of  Ezekiel 
Polk,  who  emigrated  from  Ireland.  The  family  was  of  Scotch 
origin,  but  ha-ving  moved  to  Ireland  at  an  early  period  in  their 
history,  their  original  name,  Pollock,  was  corrupted  by  the 
Irish  into  Polk. 

Samuel  Polk  married  Jane  Knox,  after  whom  her  oldest  son 
was  named.  Samuel  not  possessing  an  abundance  of  this 
world's  goods,  was  not  firmly  bound  to  the  soil  of  his  native 
State,  and  so  he  followed  the  tide  of  emigration  with  his  young 
family  over  the  mountains  to  Tennessee,  where  he  settled  upon 
Duck  River,  in  what  afterward  become  the  County  of  Maury. 

Here  James  K.  Polk  passed  his  boyhood  in  the  humble  posi- 
tion in  life  which  his  parents  occupied.  Here  was  formed  his 
manly  and  self-reliant  disposition ;  here  were  imbibed  those 
principles  of  economy,  industry,  integrity  and  virtue,  which 
adorned  his  ripened  manhood.  He  not  only  assisted  his  father 
on  the  farm,  but  accompanied  him  on  his  surveying  excursions, 
where  for  weeks  they  trod  the  dense  forests  and  penetrated 
the  almost  impassable  canebrakes,  exposed  to  all  the  changes  of 
weather  and  dangers  and  vicissitudes  of  a  life  in  the  woods. 

Being  strongly  inclined  to  study,  he  sought  every  opportuni- 
ty for  improving  his  mind,  and  a  profession  was  the  great  end 
at  which  he  aimed.  In  July,  1813,  he  was  placed  under  the 
tuition  of  Dr.  Henderson.  Subsequently  he  was  sent  to  the 
Murf  reesborough  Academy,  where  in  less  than  two  years  and  a 
half  he  was  sufficiently  advanced  to  enter  the  University  of 
North  Carolina,  from  which  he  graduated  in  June,  1818. 

In  1819  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Felix  Grundy,  at  Nash- 


204  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

ville,  who  was  at  that  time  at  the  head  of  the  Tennessee  bar. 
Within  two  years  from  the  time  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr. 
Grundy,  Mr.  Polk  had  passed  his  examination,  and  in  1820  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  then  returned  to  Maury  County 
and  established  himself  in  practice  at  Columbia  among  the 
friends  of  his  boyhood. 

His  first  public  services  were  performed  as  chief  clerk  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Tennessee.  In  1823  he  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  by  a  heavy  majority,  where  he  remained  for 
two  successive  years.  His  most  conspicuous  work  while  in  the 
Legislature  was  to  secure  the  passage  of  a  law  designed  to  pre- 
vent dueling. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1824,  an  important  event  took  place  in 
his  life,  which  was  no  less  than  his  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah 
Childress,  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Rutherford 
County,  Tennessee.  Mr.  Polk  was  fortunate  in  his  choice.  To 
the  charms  of  a  fine  person  she  united  intellectual  accomplish- 
ments of  a  high  order,  and  was  well  fitted  to  adorn  any  station. 

In  the  spring  of  1825  Mr.  Polk  offered  himself  to  the  electors 
of  the  sixth  or  Duck  River  district  as  their  candidate  for  Con- 
gress, and  in  the  August  election  he  was  chosen  by  a  most  flat- 
tering vote,  and  as  an  evidence  of  his  high  appreciation  in  the 
minds  of  his  constituency,  he  was  repeatedly  returned  for  four- 
teen years  in  succession.  In  Congress  he  was  punctual  and 
prompt  in  the  performance  of  every  duty,  and  firm  and  zealous 
in  the  maintenance  and  advocacy  of  his  opinions.  His  speeches 
were  always  to  the  point;  always  clear  and  forcible.  He  made 
his  debut  as  a  speaker  in  advocating  an  amendment  to  the  Con- 
stitution giving  the  choice  of  President  and  Vice-President 
directly  to  the  vote  of  the  people. 

Among  the  prominent  recommendations  of  President  Adams 
which  Mr.  Polk  zealously  resisted  were  the  Panama  Mission 
and  that  class  of  measures,  the  chief  features  of  which  were  an 
extensive  system  of  internal  improvements  and  a  high  protec- 
tive tariff,  usually  comprehended  under  the  general  designa- 
tion of  "the  American  System."  From  his  entrance  into 
public  life  his  adherence  to  the  cardinal  principles  of  the 
Democratic  creed  was  singularly  steadfast,  and  he  stood  firmly 


JAMES  K.  POL*.  fc05 

for  General  Jackson  previous  to  and  during  his  entire  adminis- 
tration, and  was  one  of  the  earliest  opponents  of  the  re-charter 
of  the  United  States  Bank. 

When  the  members  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Congress  assembled 
at  the  Capitol,  in  December,  1835,  Mr.  Polk  was  selected  by 
general  consent  by  the  friends  of  the  administration  as  their 
Speaker,  to  which  position  he  was  elected  by  a  large  majority. 
Mr.  Polk  occupied  the  Chair  of  the  House  during  five  sessions. 
During  the  first  session  more  appeals  were  taken  from  his 
decisions  than  was  ever  before  known  ;  but  he  was  uniformly 
sustained  by  the  House,  and  frequently  by  the  most  prominent 
members  of  the  opposition.  Being  perfectly  familiar  with 
parliamentary  law,  he  was  ever  prompt  in  his  decisions. 
Questions  of  order  might  be  multiplied  until  the  whole  busi- 
ness of  the  House  seemed  irretrievably  confused,  but  he  would 
instantly  unravel  the  knot  and  restore  order. 

In  adjourning  the  House  on  the  4th  of  March,  1889,  and  ter- 
minating forever  his  connection  with  the  body  of  which  he 
had  been  so  long  a  member,  Mr.  Polk  delivered  a  farewell  ad- 
dress of  more  than  ordinary  length,  and  characterized  by  deep 
feeling,  in  which  he  mentioned  that  only  five  members  were 
there  with  him  at  leaving  who  were  members  when  he  took 
his  seat  fourteen  years  before. 

Still  higher  honors  awaited  Mr.  Polk  on  his  return  to  Tennes- 
see. At  the  urgent  solicitations  of  his  friends  he  consented  to 
become  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Governor  of  the  State. 
The  Democracy  had  been  in  a  measure  disheartened  by  the 
defeats  they  had  experienced  since  the  secession  of  Judge 
White,  Mr.  Bell  and  their  friends  from  the  party,  and  they 
needed  some  leader  possessing  a  powerful  hold  upon  the  affec- 
tions of  the  people.  Such  a  leader  was  Mr.  Polk.  The  canvass 
was  a  warm  and  spirited  one,  with  an  uncertain  issue.  The 
State  had  been  for  years  in  the  hands  of  the  opposition,  and 
they  now  rallied  with  enthusiasm  and  alacrity  in  support  of 
Governor  Cannon,  the  incumbent  of  the  office,  who  was  a 
candidate  for  re-election,  and  a  man  of  great  popularity. 

Mr.  Polk  had  his  abilities  put  to  a  severe  test  in  the  canvass, 
but  as  a  stump  speaker  he  was  invincible,  and  he  flew,  as  it 


206  LIVES  OE*  OUR  PRESIDENTS 

were,  from  one  end  of  the  State  to  the  other,  and  addressed  the 
citizens  of  every  county.  His  exertions  were  rewarded  with 
the  success  they  deserved,  and  he  was  elected  over  Governor 
Cannon  by  upward  of  twenty-five  hundred  majority,  and  on 
the  14th  of  October  took  the  oath  of  office  at  Nashville,  and  en- 
tered upon  the  discharge  of  the  executive  duties. 

In  August,  1841,  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-election,  but  the 
whirlwind  which  had  prostrated  the  Democratic  party  in  1840 
throughout  the  Union  made  his  success  impossible.  In  1843  he 
was  a  candidate  for  the  third  time,  but  his  opponent  was  elected 
by  nearly  four  thousand  majority. 

The  Presidential  campaign  in  1844  opened  with  a  great  politi- 
cal issue,  that  of  the  annexation  of  Texas.  This  magnificent 
territory  had  just  been  wrested  from  Mexico  by  Sam  Houston 
and  his  brave  Texan  army,  and  now  stood  as  an  independent 
republic  asking  for  admission  into  the  Union.  There  was 
strong  opposition  in  the  North  to  this  annexation  through  an 
earnest  desire  to  prevent  the  extension  of  slavery,  and  it  was 
plain  that  this  was  to  be  the  issue  of  the  Presidential  campaign. 

In  reply  to  a  letter  from  a  committee  of  the  citizens  of  Cin- 
cinnati to  Mr.  Polk,  asking  for  his  views  on  the  subject,  he 
closed  with  the  following  true  American  sentiment : 

"  Let  Texas  be  annexed,  and  the  authority  and  laws  of  the  United  States 
be  established  and  maintained  within  her  limits,  as  also  in  the  Oregon  Ter- 
ritory, and  let  the  fixed  policy  of  our  Government  be,  not  to  permit  Great 
Britain  or  any  other  foreign  power  to  plant  a  colony  or  hold  dominion  over 
any  portion  of  the  people  of  Territory  of  either." 

This  letter  placed  Mr.  Polk  so  favorably  before  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore,  which  assembled  on  the 
24th  of  May,  1844,  that  on  the  eighth  ballot  he  was  brought 
forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  and  at  the  mention 
of  his  name  harmony  was  brought  out  of  confusion.  On 
the  ninth  ballot  he  received  nearly  all  the  votes  of 
the  members,  and  the  nomination  was  subsequently  made 
unanimous.  George  M.  Dallas  was  then  chosen  as  the  candi- 
date for  Vice-President,  and  the  Democratic  party  had  launched 
out  before  the  country  with  the  names  of  Polk  and  Dallas  at 
the  masthead. 


JAMES  K.  POLK.  207 

The  candidates  selected  by  the  Whig  party  were  Henry  Clay, 
of  Kentucky,  for  President,  and  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  of 
New  Jersey,  for  Vice-President.  The  nomination  of  Mr.  Polk 
was  met  with  a  spirit  of  enthusiasm  that  could  not  fail  to  tri- 
umph. The  canvass  was  conducted  with  great  spirit  and  ani- 
mation. Mass  meetings  were  held  in  every  county,  and  pro- 
cessions with  music  and  banners  were  daily  seen  traversing  the 
roads  and  byways  of  the  interior  or  the  crowded  thoroughfares 
of  our  large  towns  and  cities. 

The  opposition  to  Mr.  Polk  also  made  a  lively  contest,  and 
among  their  campaign  songs  was  one  which  began  : 

'•  James  K.  Polk  and  George  M.  Dallas; 
One  for  h — 1  and  'tother  for  the  gallows!" 

But,  in  spite  of  this  Whig  prophetic  rhyme,  the  Democrats 
triumphantly  landed  Mr.  Polk  in  the  Presidential  chair,  and 
instead  of  the  gallows,  Mr.  Dallas,  as  Vice-President,  became 
Speaker  of  the  Senate.  Mr.  Polk  received  one  hundred  and 
seventy  electoral  votes  and  Mr.  Clay  one  hundred  and  five. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  Mr.  Polk  was  inaugurated  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  delivered  a  fine  and  appropriate 
inaugural  address,  setting  forth  many  of  the  principles  which 
would  govern  him  in  his  execution  of  the  trust  confided  to  him. 

Mr.  Polk  selected  his  Cabinet  from  among  the  most  distin- 
guished members  of  the  Democratic  party,  each  part  of  the 
Union  being  represented. 

The  first  question  of  importance  which  arose  in  Mr.  Folk's 
administration  was  that  of  our  title  to  Oregon.  The  Baltimore 
convention  had  resolved  that  the  American  title  to  the  whole 
of  Oregon  was  "clear  and  unquestionable."  Mr.  Polk  was 
pledged  to  this  resolution,  and  it  was  mainly  owing  to  his  firm 
determination  that  this  vexed  question  was  forever  settled  in  a 
spirit  of  amity  and  concord. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  treaty  of  annexation  of  Texas 
was  concluded  with  the  United  States,  Mexico  officially  pro- 
nounced the  treaty  of  annexation  absolutely  "  a  declaration  of 
war  between  the  two  nations,"  and  Santa  Anna,  the  President 
of  Mexico,  in  a  statement  made  on  the  12th  of  June,  1844,  de- 


268  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

dared  it  to  be  the  firm  determination  of  Mexico  to  reconquer 
Texas.  This  announcement  was  followed  by  a  requisition  for 
thirty  thousand  men  and  four  millions  of  dollars  to  carry  on  the 
war,  which  it  was  threatened  would  be  one  of  extermination. 
President  Herrera,  the  successor  of  Santa  Anna,  also  issued  a 
proclamation  on  the  4th  of  June,  1845,  and  two  decrees  of  the 
Mexican  Congress  were  affixed  providing  for  calling  out  all 
the  armed  forces  of  the  nation,  and  on  the  12th  of  July  orders 
were  given  to  the  Army  of  the  North  to  prepare  to  take  the 
field. 

Diplomatic  intercourse  being  suspended,  and  a  state  of  war 
declared  to  exist,  no  alternative  was  left  to  the  United  States 
but  that  of  extending  their  authority  over  Texas  without  further 
reference  to  Mexico.  After  some  time  had  passed  in  our  use- 
less attempt  to  treat  with  Mexico  on  the  subject,  General  Taylor 
was  instructed,  on  the  13th  day  of  January,  1846,  to  advance 
and  occupy  with  his  troops  positions  on  or  near  the  east  bank 
of  the  Rio  Grande  as  soon  as  it  could  be  conveniently  done.  He 
was  further  directed  to  commit  no  act  of  hostility  or  aggression  ; 
not  to  enforce  the  common  right  of  navigating  the  river,  or  to 
treat  Mexico  as  an  enemy  unless  she  assumed  that  character, 
but  to  repel  any  attack,  and  if  hostilities  were  commenced  by 
the  Mexican  troops,  to  adopt  such  offensive  measures  as  he 
might  deem  advisable.- 

In  fulfillment  of  his  instructions,  General  Taylor  broke  up  his 
encampment  at  Corpus  Christi,  and  reaching  the  Rio  Grande 
near  Matamoras,  fortified  his  position  and  placed  his  artillery 
so  as  to  cover  the  approaches.  Soon  after  this  the  Mexican 
army,  under  command  of  General  Arista,  crossed  the  Rio  Grande 
in  force,  intending  to  surround  General  Taylor's  position  and 
compel  him  to  capitulate. 

On  the  24th  of  April  a  body  of  Mexican  lancers  committed 
an  unprovoked  attack  upon  a  party  of  American  troops  sent 
out  to  observe  the  movements  of  Arista.  Congress,  immedi- 
ately on  receipt  of  the  news,  passed  an  act  declaring  that  war 
existed  by  the  act  of  Mexico,  and  the  President  was  authorized 
to  accept  the  services  of  fifty  thousand  volunteers,  and  the  sum 
of  ten  millions  of  dollars  was  appropriated  to  carry  on  the  war. 


JAMES  K.    POLK.  209 

After  this  the  movements  upon  the  part  of  our  armies  were 
so  vigorously  conducted  that  the  victories  of  Palo  Alto,  Resaca 
de  la  Palma,  Monterey,  Vera  Cruz,  Chapultepec,  and  finally 
the  City  of  Mexico,  followed  in  rapid  succession,  resulting  not 
only  in  our  possession  of  Texas,  but  also  of  New  Mexico  and 
Upper  and  Lower  California. 

Thus  ended  the  war,  and  when  Americans  to-day  look  upon 
the  great  and  wealthy  territory  secured  thereby,  it  is  not  prob- 
able that  any  one  will  fail  to  thank  Mr.  Polk  for  his  firm 
position  in  bringing  on  the  conflict.  The  value  of  gold  alone 
in  California  can  never  be  adequately  estimated. 

The  remainder  of  Mr.  Folk's  administration,  after  the  close 
of  the  Mexican  war,  was  quiet  and  not  marked  by  any  par- 
ticular conflict  with  the  opposition.  While  signing  the  appro- 
priation bill  of  the  million  dollars  for  treaty  purposes  with  the 
celebrated  Wilmot  proviso,  Mr.  Polk  expressed  his  regrets 
that  sectional  feelings  and  animosities  should  be  so  needlessly 
kindled  and  aroused. 

The  adjournment  of  Congress,  which  closed  Mr.  Folk's  po- 
litical administration,  took  place  on  the  3d  of  March,  1849,  and 
the  4th  being  on  Sunday,  his  successor  was  inaugurated  on  the 
5th,  on  which  day  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  took  leave  of  their 
friends,  and  in  the  evening  commenced  their  return  journey  to 
their  home  in  Tennessee.  All  along  his  route  through  Rich- 
mond, Wilmington,  Charleston,  Savannah,  New  Orleans  and 
every  place  he  passed,  a  grand  ovation  and  welcome  awaited 
him  from  the  enthusiastic  citizens. 

Reaching  his  beautiful  home  in  Nashville,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased but  a  short  time  before,  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  com- 
forts and  pleasures  of  his  home  and  devoted  his  time  to  its  im- 
provement. He  had,  however,  only  been  at  his  home  a  few 
weeks,  when  a  disease  similar  to  the  scourge  of  cholera,  which 
was  then  raging  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  struck  him 
down,  and  in  a  few  days,  despite  the  best  medical  skill,  he 
quietly  sank  to  sleep  forever,  on  the  15th  day  of  June,  1849,  in 
the  54th  year  of  his  age,  and  James  K.  Polk  was  no  more  of 
earth. 


ZACHARY    TAYLOR. 


Zachary  Taylor,  like  so  many  other  of  his  illustrious  prede- 
cessors, was  born  in  Virginia  in  1784,  Orange  County  in  that 
State  having  the  honor  of  his  birth.  His  family  were  among 
the  oldest  settlers  of  the  State.  At  an  early  period  in  the  life 
of  young  Zachary,  his  father,  Colonel  Richard  Taylor,  moved 
to  Kentucky,  and  settled  in  the  unbroken  forest  near  where 
Lexington  now  stands.  There  all  the  prowess  of  the  Taylor 
blood  was  brought  into  requisition  in  the  desperate  encounters 
with  the  Indians  and  wild  beasts  of  the  wilderness,  and  from 
the  brave  record  of  Colonel  Taylor  it  was  evident  that  his  son 
Zachary  inherited  part  of  his  military  ambition. 

The  advantages  of  education  in  that  thinly  settled  country 
were  very  slender,  and  necessitated  for  the  early  education  of 
Zachary  a  private  tutor.  While  very  ready  to  receive  instruc- 
tion it  was  evident  at  that  early  period  of  his  life  that  he 
would  have  preferred  fighting  Indians,  and  he  was  even  then 
looking  forward  to  the  profession  of  arms  as  his  future  voca- 
tion. The  cruel  and  barbarous  warfare  of  the  savages  at  that 
time  was  sufficient  incentive  to  arouse  all  the  martial  spirit  of 
youth. 

In  view  of  his  early  surroundings  it  is  but  natural  that  we 
should  find  him  entering  the  United  States  Army  as  a  lieu- 
tenant, in  1808.  It  was  scarcely  a  year  previous  to  this  that  the 
outrage  upon  the  United  States  frigate  Chesapeake  had  been 
perpetrated  by  the  commander  of  the  British  man-of-war 
Leopard,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  prospects  of  an  early  war 
with  England  induced  young  Taylor  to  hasten  his  adoption  of 
the  military  profession.  At  that  time  the  two  natural  enemies 
of  America  were  the  Indians  and  the  English,  and  when  young 
Taylor  buckled  on  his  sword  it  was  with  an  eagerness  to  wield 


212  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

it  against  the  foe  which  had  heaped  so  many  wrongs  upon  our 
country. 

During  the  four  years,  from  1808  to  1812,  Lieutenant  Taylor 
had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  and  had  been  doing 
service  in  the  West  in  looking  after  predatory  bands  of  savages 
and  in  influencing  the  tribes  to  peace  by  military  presence. 

In  1812  Captain  Taylor  was  placed  in  command  of  Fort  Har- 
rison, an  important  post  in  Indiana,  situated  amongst  the  hos- 
tile savages.  At  this  time  war  with  Great  Britain  had  begun, 
and  the  post  of  Detroit  had  been  surrendered  to  the  British  by 
Hull.  This  had  emboldened  the  Indians  to  take  up  the  toma- 
hawk against  the  Americans,  and  they  almost  immediately 
began  a  cruel  and  relentless  border  warfare. 

In  September  they  began  to  approach  Fort  Harrison  in  a 
manner  that  attracted  the  attention  of  Captain  Taylor.  Imme- 
diately he  began  to  put  the  fort  and  garrison  in  condition  to 
meet  a  surprise  and  stand  an  attack  of  the  wily  foe.  The  post 
was,  unfortunately,  an  unhealthy  one,  and  out  of  a  garrison  of 
fifty  men  scarcely  twenty  were  in  condition  for  duty,  while 
Captain  Taylor  was  himself  only  recovering  from  a  severe  ill- 
ness. 

The  fort  consisted  of  only  a  few  log  cabins,  with  block-houses 
at  the  corners,  the  entire  inclosure  being  protected  by  pickets. 
On  the  3d  of  September  the  fort  had  been  thrown  on  its  guard 
by  finding  two  of  their  men  dead  and  scalped  some  distance 
from  the  fort,  and  when  a  party  of  Indians  arrived  with  a 
white  flag  and  pretentions  of  friendship  on  the  4th,  Captain 
Taylor  at  once  anticipated  a  surprise  and  prepared  for  it  by  the 
utmost  vigilance  both  day  and  night. 

At  about  midnight  the  garrison  was  aroused  to  action  by  the 
gun  of  a  sentinel,  and  instantly  Captain  Taylor  ordered  every 
man  to  his  post.  In  a  moment  all  was  excitement  ;  one  of  the 
block-houses  had  been  set  on  fire  by  a  lighted  arrow  from  the 
savages,  and  the  stores  containing  whisky  blazed  up  fiercely, 
while  the  yelling  savages  swarmed  at  the  pickets  in  their  desper- 
ate attempts  to  climb  over.  Nothing  but  the  cool  head  and 
military  skill  of  Captain  Taylor  saved  the  fort,  its  garrison  and 
the  helpless  women  and  children.  With  all  the  courage  and 


ZACHAfeY  TAYLOR.  21,? 

coolness  of  a  veteran  he  cheered  and  ordered  his  followers,  and 
with  great  skill  directed  the  men  who  were  fighting  the  fire 
how  to  prevent  its  spread  to  the  other  buildings.  Victory  de- 
pended on  preventing  the  spread  of  the  fire,  for  if  once  past 
control  it  would  have  destroyed  the  barrack  walls  and  left  them 
at  the  mercy  of  the  savages.  During  the  night  the  fire  was  got 
under  control,  and  a  hotter  fire  was  directed  against  the  savages, 
who  fiercely  returned  it  until  daylight  the  next  morning,  when 
they  withdrew,  disheartened  at  their  defeat  and  heavy  loss, 
which  could  not  be  known. 

This  gallant  defense  bestowed  on  Captain  Taylor  the  highest 
praise,  and  Major-General  Hopkins,  in  his  dispatch  to  Governor 
Shelby,  said  of  him:  "The  firm  and  almost  unparalleled  defense 
of  Fort  Harrison  by  Captain  Zachary  Taylor  has  raised  for 
him  a  fabric  of  character  not  to  be  affected  by  my  eulogy.'' 
For  this  gallant  service  he  was  soon  after  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Major. 

In  the  subsequent  service  of  Major  Taylor  during  the  war,  he 
had  no  particular  opportunity  to  distinguish  himself,  beyond 
the  favorable  report  of  General  Hopkins,  who  mentioned  him 
as  "  rendering  prompt  and  efficient  aid  in  every  instance." 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  he  resigned  his  commission 
and  returned  home  for  a  time,  but  his  military  spirit  could  not 
brook  farm  life,  and  securing  his  old  commission,  he  again 
entered  the  army,  and  was  not  long  in  being  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  colonel.  Soon  after  this  he  participated  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  and  made  himself  conspicuous  to  the  fullest  extent 
of  the  opportunities  of  his  position.  From  this  time  to  the  date 
of  the  Seminole  war  in  Florida  in  1837,  his  services  were  ren- 
dered on  the  frontier  in  all  the  tedious,  laborious  routine  of 
regular  service  at  the  outposts,  that  is  so  seldom  heard  of  out- 
side of  the  immediate  location  or  the  dry  reports  in  the  War 
Department. 

After  the  attempt  of  the  United  States  Government  to  induce 
the  Seminoles  to  retire  beyond  the  Mississippi  River  had  failed, 
Colonel  Taylor  received  orders,  on  the  19th  of  December,  1837, 
to  march  at  once  upon  them,  and  strike  them  whenever  and 
wherever  possible. 


214  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Learning  that  Alligator,  the  Seminole  chief,  was  encamped 
with  his  warriors  near  Lake  Okeechobee,  Colonel  Taylor  laid 
out  a  small  stockade  in  which  to  deposit  his  heavy  baggage  and 
artillery,  and,  after  leaving  a  suitable  guard  in  charge  of  the 
depot,  he  pushed  rapidly  forward,  and  at  the  close  of  the  day's 
long  march  he  learned  from  some  Indians  that  be  had  taken  in 
a  camp  that  his  army  was  within  a  short  distance  of  the  chief 
Aviaka,  or  Saul  Jones,  and  his  Micasukies,  and  Alligator  and 
the  other  Seminoles. 

At  daylight  the  next  morning  Colonel  Taylor  resumed  his 
march,  and  soon  came  upon  a  Seminole  camp  in  which  the  fires 
were  still  burning.  Resuming  the  march  in  the  direction  the 
Indians  were  supposed  to  have  gone,  the  army  soon  reached  a 
swamp,  covered  with  immense  grass  and  knee  deep  in  water, 
and  a  still  more  uncertain  depth  of  mud.  This  swamp  being 
impassable  for  the  horses  and  baggage,  they  had  to  be  left  be- 
hind under  guard.  Two  companies  of  scouts  were  then  sent 
ahead  to  reconnoitre,  and  Colonel  Taylor,  with  the  main  body  of 
the  troops,  passed  rapidly  through  the  swamp.  They  were 
soon  met  by  a  heavy  tire  from  the  savages  from  behind  the 
trees,  and  Colonel  Gentry  being  mortally  wounded,  his  volun- 
teers broke  and  retreated  in  disorder  to  their  horses  and 
baggage.  The  Fourth  and  Sixth  Regulars  then  pushed  rapidly 
to  the  front,  and  drove  the  Indians  before  them.  By  this  time 
the  different  commands  had  joined  in  the  engagement,  and  the 
rout  of  the  enemy  became  complete,  the  Indians  being  driven 
in  every  direction  until  night  closed  the  action. 

Colonel  Taylor,  in  his  report,  showed  that  in  six  weeks  he  had 
penetrated  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  into  the  enemy's  coun- 
try, opened  roads,  constructed  bridges  and  causeways,  estab- 
lished depots  and  defenses  for  the  same,  had  overtaken  and 
beaten  the  enemy,  captured  some  and  induced  the  surrender 
of  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty,  besides  capturing  and 
driving  out  of  the  country  six  hundred  herds  of  cattle  and 
over  one  hundred  horses. 

Thus  Colonel  Taylor's  services  may  be  claimed  to  have  ended 
the  Seminole  war,  although  he  still  remained  until  1840,  induc- 
ing other  chiefs  and  warriors  to  submit  to  the  Government. 


ZACHAKY  TAYLOR.  215 

In  April,  1838,  he  received  a  commission  as  Brigadier-General. 
At  the  end  of  two  years  spent  in  Florida,  General  Taylor  was 
transferred  to  the  command  of  the  Southern  Department  of  the 
Army,  embracing  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama  and  Georgia. 
In  this  department  his  main  labors  were  the  dull  routine  of 
military  superintendence  over  the  garrisons  of  the  above  States, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  Mexican  War  that  he  rose  to  that  lofty 
position  of  prominence  that  made  his  name  familiar  to  every 
schoolboy. 

After  Texas  fought  for  and  won  her  independence  from 
Mexico,  she  applied  for  adjnission  into  the  Union  as  a  State. 
Mexico  had  borne  in  silence  and  with  an  ill  grace  the  inde- 
pendence of  Texas,  but  the  moment  she  realized  that  the 
"Lone  Star"  Republic  was  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States, 
she  very  foolishly  asserted  that  such  an  act  would  in  itself  con- 
stitute an  overture  of  war  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
which  Mexico  would  at  once  resent  by  arms. 

In  furtherance  of  this  proclamation,  the  Mexican  President 
called  for  thirty  thousand  soldiers  and  four  millions  of  dollars. 
At  this  action  on  the  part  of  Mexico,  General  Taylor  was  ordered 
to  occupy  a  position  at  Corpus  Christi  for  the  purpose  of  repell- 
ing any  invasion  of  the  State  of  Texas  by  Mexico.  From  this 
position  he  was  next  instructed  to  proceed  westward,  and  soon 
reaching  the  Colorado,  he  found  indications  of  a  resistance  of 
his  further  progress.  He  was  warned  by  the  Mexican  com- 
mander noi  to  cross  the  river.  He,  however,  made  the  passage 
of  the  Colorado  on  the  22d  of  March,  1846,  and  on  the  24th,  with 
a  body  of  dragoons,  reached  Point  Isabel.  On  the  28th  he 
reached  the  Rio  Grande  opposite  Matamoras,  and  fortified  his 
position  while  General  Ampudia  was  stationed  in  Matamoras, 
opposite,  with  the  Mexican  troops. 

General  Arista  now  superseded  Ampudia  in  command  of  the 
Mexicans,  and  General  Taylor,  ascertaining  that  the  enemy 
had  crossed  the  river  above  Matamoras,  sent  out  sixty  dragoons 
to  reconnoitre  their  position.  The  Mexicans  attacked  this  party, 
and,  after  killing  ten  men,  captured  tha  remainder. 

This  opened  the  war,  and  as  soon  as  the  news  reached  Con- 
gress, amid  great  excitement,  an  act  was  passed  to  the  effect 


216  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

that  war  existed  by  the  act  of  Mexico,  and  a  call  was  made  by 
the  President  for  fifty  thousand  volunteers. 

The  Mexican  general  now  showed  clearly  an  intention  of 
throwing  troops  between  General  Taylor's  camp  and  Point  Isa- 
bel, to  cut  off  the  supplies  of  the  American  Army,  and  Captain 
Walker,  of  the  Texas  Rangers,  reported  having  fallen  back  to 
Point  Isabel  before  a  force  of  about  fifteen  hundred  Mexicans. 
On  receiving  this  intelligence,  General  Taylor  resolved  to  set  out 
with  the  main  part  of  his  force  for  Point  Isabel,  leaving  Major 
Brown  in  charge  of  Fort  Brown  and  the  works  opposite  Mata- 
moras.  General  Taylor  reached  Point  Isabel  on  the  2d  of  May 
without  encountering  the  enemy.  On  the  3d  cannonading  in 
the  direction  of  Fort  Brown  was  heard,  and  General  Taylor 
sent  out  scouts  to  learn  the  cause.  Ascertaining  from  them  on 
the  6th  that  the  Mexicans  had  attacked  Fort  Brown,  he  hastened 
to  march  to  the  relief  of  Major  Brown,  whose  position  was  a 
critical  one.  For  two  daysaterrific  bombardment  of  thefort  had 
been  kept  up  from  the  Mexican  batteries  across  the  Rio  Grande. 
On  the  7th  of  May  a  force  of  Mexicans  crossed  the  river  and 
surrounded  Fort  Brown,  from  which  position  they  opened  fire 
with  their  artillery,  and  the  fire  upon  the  fort  was  fiercely  kept 
up  day  after  day  until  noon  of  the  8th,  when  General  Taylor 
came  up  with  his  army  and  confronted  the  Mexicans  on  the 
plains  of  Palo  Alto.  The  Mexican  army  of  about  six  thousand 
men  was  drawn  up  in  force  with  its  batteries  to  meet  the 
advancing  American  army,  which  numbered  a  little  more 
than  two  thousand  men,  but  was  superior  in  artillery  to  the 
enemy. 

The  Mexicans  opened  the  battle  with  their  artillery,  which  was 
immediately  replied  to  by  the  Americans,  and  it  raged  fiercely 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  Our  shot  and  shells  and 
grape  and  cannister  did  fearful  execution  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Mexicans,  while  our  troops,  by  throwing  themselves  upon  the 
ground,  escaped  the  bullets  of  the  enemy  as  they  harmlessly 
passed  over  their  heads.  Our  loss  was  only  four  killed  and 
thirty-two  wounded,  while  that  of  the  Mexicans  was  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two. 

During  the  hottest  of  the  engagement  the  prairie  grass  was 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR.  21? 

set  on  fire  by  the  bursting  of  shells,  and  the  sheets  of  flame  and 
dense  smoke  added  to  the  terrors  of  the  scene. 

The  Mexicans  retreated  during  the  night,  leaving  their  dead 
and  part  of  their  wounded  on  the  field.  At  daylight,  General 
Taylor  finding  that  they  had  disappeared,  immediately  started 
in  pursuit  of  them,  and  soon  came  up  with  them  posted  in  a 
ravine  called  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  The  situation  was  a  splendid 
natural  position  for  defense,  covered  as  it  was  with  dense 
thickets,  and  it  was  evident  that  a  desperate  charge  would  be 
necessary  to  dislodge  them. 

General  Taylor  began  the  attack  with  artillery,  and  the  light 
artillery  battery  formerly  commanded  by  Major  Ringold  was 
sent  forward.  It  was  here  the  celebrated  charge  of  Captain 
May  was  made  with  his  dragoons,  to  take  a  battery  which  was 
doing  terrible  execution  among  our  troops.  The  battery  was 
scarcely  silenced  before  the  American  infantry  and  cavalry 
were  pressing  the  Mexicans  back  until  the  retreat  became  a 
perfect  stampede,  and  as  battery  after  battery  came  to  the  front, 
the  Mexicans  were  li terally  swept  from  the  field. 

The  Mexicans  escaped  across  the  river  in  the  greatest  disorder. 
The  Americans  took  eight  pieces  of  artillery,  with  a  great 
quantity  of  ammunition,  three  standards  and  about  one 
hundred  prisoners,  together  with  a  large  number  of  pack  mules 
left  in  the  Mexican  camp. 

Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma  became  the  enthusiastic 
shout  of  the  excited  volunteers,  who  were  rapidly  enlisting 
throughout  the  country. 

The  next  movement  of  General  Taylor  was  made  against 
Matamoras,  and  on  the  18th  of  May,  having  secured  boats  for  the 
purpose,  he  crossed  the  river  with  his  troops  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  town,  which  the  Mexicans  had  hastily  evacuated.  A 
body  of  troops  sent  to  reconnoitre  their  retreat  brought  in 
twenty-two  prisoners,  and  thus  ended  the  peaceable  occupation 
of  Matamoras. 

"While  waiting  at  Matamoras  for  further  instructions,  General 
Taylor  received  official  information  of  his  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  Major-General,  together  with  a  resolution  of  thanks 
from  Congress. 


218  LIVES  OF  OtrK  PRESIDENTS. 

On  the  5th  of  August  General  Taylor  began  his  march  from 
Matamoras  to  Camargo,  which  place  he  intended  to  make  the 
base  of  his  operations.  Reaching  Camargo,  he  sent  General 
"Worth  to  Seralvo,  to  hold  the  position  until  the  approach  of  the 
main  army.  On  the  7th  of  September  General  Taylor  left 
Camargo  and  marched  with  the  main  army  to  Seralvo,  from 
which  place  he  hastened  to  Monterey.  It  was  General  Taylor's 
belief ,  as  he  approached  nearer  Monterey,  that  the  enemy  would 
make  a  vigorous  attempt  to  hold  it,  and  upon  approaching  in 
sight  of  the  city  he  learned  that  he  would  be  compelled  to 
oppose  a  force  of  ten  thousand  Mexicans  with  his  force  of  six 
thousand. 

"The  configuration  of  the  heights  and  gorges,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Saltillo  road,"  said  General  Taylor,  -'led  me  to 
suspect  that  it  was  practicable  to  turn  all  the  works  in  that 
direction,  and  thus  cut  the  enemy's  line  of  communication." 

In  accordance  with  this  opinion  of  General  Taylor,  he  ordered 
a  close  reconnoissance  of  the  ground  in  question  by  the  corps 
of  engineers  under  Major  Mansfield.  This  reconnoissance 
proving  the  entire  practicability  of  throwing  forward  a  column 
to  the  Saltillo  road,  and  turning  the  position  of  the  enemy,  or- 
ders were  given  to  General  Worth,  commanding  the  Second 
Division,  to  march  with  his  command  on  the  20th  ;  to  turn  the 
hill  of  the  Bishop's  Palace;  to  occupy  a  position  on  the  Saltillo 
road,  and  to  carry  the  enemy's  detached  works  in  that  quarter 
wherever  practicable. 

General  Worth's  division  had  scarcely  taken  up  its  line  of 
march  before  it  was  discovered  that  his  movements  had  been 
observed  by  the  enemy,  and  that  they  were  thro  wing  reinforce- 
ments toward  the  Bishop's  Palace  and  the  height  which  com- 
manded it.  To  divert  the  attention  of  the  enemy,  the  First  Di- 
vision, under  Brigadier-General  Twiggs,  and  the  Field  Division 
of  volunteers,  under  Major-General  Butler,  were  displayed  in 
front  of  the  town  until  dark.  During  the  night  two  24-pound 
howitzers  and  a  10-inch  mortar  were  placed  in  position  to  open 
tire  on  the  city  the  next  morning,  to  make  a  diversion  in  favor 
of  General  "Worth,  the  latter  having  secured  a  good  defensive 
position  during  the  night  above  the  Bishop's  Palace. 


ZACHABY  TAYLOR.  219 

Early  the  next  morning  General  Worth  sent  a  note  to  Gene- 
ral Taylor,  requesting  the  diversion  against  the  centre  and  left 
of  the  town  to  favor  his  enterprise  against  the  heights  in  the 
rear.  To  further  this  plan,  the  infantry  and  artillery  of  the 
First  Division  and  Field  Division  of  volunteers  were  ordered 
under  arms,  and  took  the  direction  of  the  city,  leaving  one 
company  of  each  regiment  as  a  camp  guard.  The  Second  Dra- 
goons, under  Lieutenant-Colonel  May,  and  Colonel  Wood's 
regiment  of  Texas  mounted  volunteers,  under  the'  immediate 
direction  of  General  Henderson,  were  directed  to  the  right  to 
support  General  Worth  if  necessary,  and  to  make  an  impres- 
sion if  practicable  upon  the  upper  part  of  the  city.  The  First 
and  Third  regiments  of  infantry  and  battalion  of  Baltimore  and 
Washington  volunteers,  with  Captain  Bragg's  field  battery, 
the  whole  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Garland, 
were  directed  toward  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  with  orders 
to  make  a  strong  demonstration  and  carry  one  of  the  enemy's 
advanced  works,  if  it  could  be  done  without  too  heavy  loss. 
In  the  meantime  the  mortar  and  the  howitzer  battery  had 
opened  their  fire  upon  the  citadel. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Garland's  command  had  approached  the 
town  in  a  direction  to  the  right  of  the  advanced  work  No.  1, 
and  the  engineer  officers,  covered  by  skirmishers,  had  suc- 
ceeded in  entering  the  suburbs  and  going  under  cover.  The 
remainder  of  this  command  now  advanced  and  entered  the 
town  under  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  from  the  citadel  and  the 
works  on  the  left,  and  of  musketry  from  the  houses  and  small 
works  in  front.  About  this  time  Captain  Backus,  with  a  por- 
tion of  the  First  Infantry  and  other  companies,  had  gained  the 
roof  of  a  tannery  and  poured  a  destructive  fire  down  upon  work 
No.  1,  which  aided  the  advance  upon  it  in  the  front,  resulting 
in  its  capture,  together  with  the  strong  buildings  in  its  rear. 
With  the  work  was  also  taken  five  pieces  of  artillery,  a  consid- 
erable supply  of  ammunition  and  thirty  prisoners. 

This  gave  our  troops  a  foothold  in  that  part  of  the  city.  An 
attempt  was  then  made  to  capture  the  works  No.  2,  and  parts 
of  several  regiments  were  pushed  forward  for  that  purpose,  but 
as  a  battery  which  was  to  support  them  had  withdrawn  to  work 


230  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

No.  1,  and  as  evening  was  approaching,  it  was  thought  advis- 
able by  General  Taylor  to  order  all  the  troops  back  to  camp, 
except  Captain  Ridgely's  battery  and  the  regular  infantry  of 
the  First  Division,  who  were  detailed  as  a  guard  for  the  works 
during  the  night. 

Although  heavy  loss,  embracing  many  officers,  had  accom- 
panied the  day's  accomplishment  at  the  front  of  the  city,  it_had 
resulted  in  a  diversion  of  the  Mexicans  from  the  movements  of 
General  Worth  in  the  rear,  who  had  succeeded  in  gaining  a 
position  on  the  Saltillo  road,  thus  cutting  the  enemy's  line  of 
communication.  From  this  position  the  two  heights  south  of 
the  Saltillo  road  were  carried  in  succession,  and  the  gun  taken 
on  one  of  them  turned  against  the  Bishop's  Palace. 

The  22d  of  September  passed  without  any  active  operations 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  The  citadel  and  other  works  con- 
tinued to  fire  at  every  American  within  range,  and  especially 
at  the  work  occupied  by  our  troops. 

At  the  dawn  of  day  the  height  above  the  Bishop's  Palace  was 
carried ,  and  by  noon  the  Palace  itself  was  taken  and  its  guns 
turned  upon  the  fugitive  garrison. 

During  the  night  of  the  22d  the  enemy  evacuated  nearly  all 
their  defenses  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  and  General  Taylor, 
on  the  morning  of  the  28d.  sent  instructions  to  General  Quit- 
man,  leaving  it  to  his  discretion  to  enter  the  city,  covering  his 
men  by  the  houses  and  walls  and  advancing  carefully  as  far  as 
he  might  deem  prudent. 

As  soon  as  General  Taylor  learned  that  General  Quitman  was 
successfully  forcing  his  way  toward  the  principal  plaza,  he 
ordered  up  the  Second  Regiment  of  Texas  mounted  vohlnteers, 
who  entered  the  city,  dismounted  and  co-operated  with  General 
Quitman's  brigade.  Captain  Bragg's  battery  was  also  ordered 
up,  supported  by  the  Third  Infantry,  and  after  firing  at  the 
cathedral  for  some  time,  a  portion  of  it  was  thrown  into  the 
street.  House  by  house  and  street  by  street,  the  brave  troops 
advanced  with  destruction  to  the  enemy  and  considerable  loss 
to  themselves. 

As  General  Quitman's  brigade  had  been  on  duty  the  previous 
night,  General  Taylor  decided  to  withdraw  the  troops  to  the 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR.  231 

evacuated  works  until  the  next  morning.  This  order  had  scarcely 
been  given  when  a  note  from  General  Worth  announced  that 
he  was  about  to  make  a  demonstration  upon  the  city  from  his 
side,  which  had  to  a  considerable  extent  been  evacuated  also. 
But  it  was  then  too  late  for  General  Taylor  to  issue  new  orders 
to  co-operate  with  him.  At  eleven  o'clock  p.  M.  another  note 
from  General  Worth  announced  that  he  had  advanced  to  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  principal  plaza,  and  that  the  mortar 
which  had  been  sent  to  his  division  had  been  doing  excellent 
service. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  General  Taylor  received  a 
communication  from.  General  Ampudia  proposing  to  evacuate 
the  town.  General  Taylor  arranged  a  cessation  of  fire  until 
twelve  o'clock,  at  which  time  h6  was  to  receive  the  answer  of 
the  Mexican  General  at  General  Worth's  headquarters.  Upon 
a  personal  interview  General  Ampudia  arranged  with  General 
Taylor  for  the  capitulation  of  the  town,  together  with  most  of 
the  materials  of  war. 

Upon  occupying  the  city  it  was  discovered  to  be  of  great 
strength  in  itself,  and  to  have  its  approaches  carefully  and 
strongly  fortified.  The  town  and  works  were  armed  with 
forty-two  pieces  of  cannon  and  plentifully  supplied  with  am- 
munition. 

Thus  after  three  days'  fighting  was  this  strong  city  of  the 
enemy  taken.  The  force  of  the  Mexicans  engaged  was  7,000 
regulars  and  about  3,000  irregular  troops.  The  force  under 
General  Taylor  consisted  of  425  officers  and  6,220  men.  The 
artillery  consisted  of  one  10-inch  mortar,  two  24-pound  howitz- 
ers and  four  light  field  batteries  of  four  guns  each,  the  mortar 
being  the  only  piece  suitable  to  the  operations  of  a  siege. 

Our  loss  was  twelve  officers  and  one  hundred  and  eight  men 
killed,  and  thirty-one  officers  and  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  men  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy,  while  not  known, 
was  very  large,  as  the  carnage  in  the  streets  was  dreadful. 

Five  months  intervened  after  the  capture  of  Monterey  before 
the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  during  which  time  General  Taylor  re- 
mained in  the  captured  city  with  a  very  small  arm/,  the  main 
portion  of  his  troops  having  been  drawn  off  to  reinforce  Gen- 


222  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

eral  Winfield  Scott,  who  had  been  made  Commander-in-Chief 
of  our  land  forces  in  Mexico. 

In  February,  General  Taylor's  army  was  increased  to  about 
6,000  troops,  and  on  the  21st  he  broke  camp  at  Aqua  Nueva 
and  took  up  a  new  position  a  little  in  front  of  the  hacienda 
of  Buena  Vista.  On  the  22d,  General  Taylor  was  advised  that 
the  enemy  was  in  sight,  advancing.  Upon  reaching  the 
ground  it  was  found  that  his  cavalry  advance  was  in  our 
front,  having  marched  from  Encarnacion,  and  driving  in  a 
mounted  force  left  at  Aqua  Nueva  to  cover  the  removal  of  pub- 
lic stores. 

General  Taylor's  troops  were  in  position,  occupying  a  line  of 
remarkable  strength.  The  road  at  that  point  becomes  a  narrow 
defile,  the  valley  on  its  right  being  rendered  quite  impracticable 
for  artillery  by  a  system  of  deep  and  impassable  gullies,  while 
on  the  left  a  succession  of  rugged  ridges  and  precipitous  ravines 
extends  far  back  toward  the  mountain.  The  features  of  the 
ground  were  such  as  to  nearly  paralyze  the  artillery  and  caval- 
ry of  the  enemy.  In  this  position  General  Taylor  prepared  to 
receive  the  enemy. 

At  11  o'clock  he  received  from  General  Santa  Anna  a  sum- 
mons to  surrender  at  discretion.  Santa  Anna  stated  in  the 
summons  that  he  had  Taylor  surrounded  by  twenty  thousand 
men,  who  would  cut  his  troops  to  pieces  if  they  resisted. 
General  Taylor  replied,  declining  to  accede  to  Santa  Anna's  de- 
mand, and  his  words  have  become  proverbial :  "  General  Tay- 
lor never  surrenders. " 

Soon  after  this  a  demonstration  was  made  on  the  enemy's  left, 
which  General  Taylor  took  steps  at  once  to  check  by  sending  a 
detachment  of  infantry  and  artillery  which  took  up  a  position 
on  the  right  during  the  night.  Not  anticipating  an  attack 
before  morning,  General  Taylor  returned  for  the  night  to  Sal- 
tillo,  with  the  Mississippi  regiment  and  squadron  of  Second 
Dragoons,  where  some  1,500  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  had  been 
hovering  about  the  town,  evidently  with  the  view  of  capturing 
the  town  or  harassing  the  retreat  of  the  Americans,  as  Santa 
Anna  naturally  expected  them  to  retreat.  After  making  ar- 
rangements for  the  protection  of  the  rear,  General  Taylor  re- 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR.  223 

turned,  on  the  nvorning  of  the  23d,  to  Buena  Vista,  with  all  the 
available  troops. 

The  action  had,  however,  commenced  before  his  arrival. 
During  the  evening  and  night  of  the  22d  the  enemy  had  thrown 
a  body  of  light  troops  on  the  mountain  side  for  the  purpose  of 
outflanking  General  Taylor's  left.  This  movement  Colonel 
Marshall  had  gallantly  checked,  and  with  the  troops  under  his 
command  maintained  his  ground  against  a  greatly  superior 
force,  holding  themselves  under  cover  and  using  their  weapons 
with  deadly  effect. 

About  8  o'clock  a  strong  demonstration  was  made  against  the 
centre  of  the  American  position,  but  this  force  was  soon  dis- 
persed by  Captain  Washington's  battery.  In  the  meantime  the 
enemy  was  concentrating  a  large  force  of  infantry  and  cavalry 
under  cover  of  the  ridges,  with  the  obvious  intention  of  forcing 
our  left.  To  check  this  advance  General  Lane  ordered  the 
artillery  of  Captain  O'Brien  and  the  Second  Indiana  forward. 
The  artillery  advanced  within  musket  range  of  a  heavy  body  of 
Mexican  infantry,  and  was  served  against  it  with  great  effect, 
but  without  being  able  to  check  its  advance,  and  the  infantry 
having  fallen  back,  Captain  O'Brien  found  it  impossible  to  retain 
his  position,  which  was  being  raked  by  a  murderous  cross-fire 
of  grape  and  canister  from  a  Mexican  battery  on  the  left.  This 
portion  of  our  line  then  gave  way.  The  Second  Illinois  and  Cap- 
tain Sherman's  Battery  had  been  outflanked  and  compelled  to 
fall  back,  and  the  enemy  was  pouring  masses  of  infantry  and 
cavalry  along  the  base  of  the  mountain  on  our  left  and  was 
gaining  our  rear  in  great  force. 

This  was  the  situation  when  General  Taylor  arrived  on  the 
field.  The  Mississippi  regiment  had  been  directed  to  the  left 
before  reaching  the  position,  and  immediately  came  into  posi- 
tion against  the  Mexican  infantry,  which  had  turned  our  flank. 
The  Second  Kentucky  regiment  and  a  section  of  artillery,  under 
Captain  Bragg,  had  been  previously  ordered  from  the  right  to 
reinforce  our  left,  and  arrived  at  a  most  opportune  moment. 
That  regiment,  and  a  portion  of  the  First  Illinois,  gallantly 
drove  the  enemy  back  and  recovered  a  portion  of  the  ground 
we  had  lost.  The  batteries  of  Captains  Sherman  and  Bragg  did 


234  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

much  execution,  not  only  in  front,  but  particularly  upon  the 
masses  which  had  gained  our  rear.  The  Third  Indiana  regi- 
ment was  then  dispatched  to  oppose  the  enemy,  who  were 
pressing  upon  the  Mississippi  regiment.  This  strengthened  line 
repulsed  the  enemy  again  and  again  with  heavy  loss.  General 
Taylor  had  placed  all  the  regular  cavalry  under  the  orders  of 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  May,  with  instructions  to  hold  in 
check  the  enemy's  column  still  advancing  to  the  rear  along  the 
base  of  the  mountain,  which  was  done  in  conjunction  with  the 
Kentucky  and  Arkansas  cavaky,  under  Colonels  Marshall  and 
Yell. 

The  concentration  of  artillery  upon  the  masses  of  the  enemy 
along  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  the  determined  resistance 
offered  by  the  two  regiments  opposed  to  them,  had  created  con- 
fusion in  their  ranks,  and  some  of  the  corps  attempted  to  effect 
a  retreat  upon  their  main  line  of  battle.  A  squadron  of  the  First 
Dragoons  was  sent  to  disperse  them.  While  the  squadron  was 
on  this  service  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  concentrated  on  our 
extreme  left  to  make  a  descent  upon  the  hacienda  where  our 
train  and  baggage  were  deposited,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  May, 
with  two  pieces  of  Sherman's  Battery,  was  ordered  to  the  sup- 
port of  that  point,  but  before  our  cavalry  had  reached  the 
hacienda,  that  of  the  enemy  had  made  its  attack  and  been  driven 
back  in  two  columns  to  the  base  of  the  mountain.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  May  having  now  been  reinforced,  approached  the  base 
of  the  mountain,  holding  in  check  the  right  flank  of  the  enemy, 
upon  whose  masses,  crowded  in  the  narrow  gorges  and  ravines, 
our  artillery  was  doing  fearful  execution.  The  position  of  that 
portion  of  the  Mexican  army  in  our  rear  was  now  very  critical, 
and  it  seemed  doubtful  whether  it  could  regain  the  main  body, 
but  the  extreme  right  of  the  enemy  continued  its  retreat  along 
the  base  of  the  mountain  and  finally  effected  a  junction  with 
the  main  body. 

The  firing  on  the  principal  field  having  nearly  ceased,  General 
Taylor  had  left  the  plateau  for  a  moment,  when  he  was  called 
thither  by  a  very  heavy  musketry  fire,  and  found  that  the 
Illinois  and  Kentucky  infantry  had  engaged  a  greatly  superior 
force  of  the  enemy,  and  they  had  been  overwhelmed  by  nun> 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR.  225 

bers.  The  moment  was  most  critical.  Captain  O'Brien  had 
been  compelled  to  leave  his  guns  on  the  field,  his  infantry  sup- 
port being  entirely  routed.  Captain  Bragg  then  arrived,  and 
at  the  risk  of  losing  his  guns,  came  rapidly  into  action,  the 
Mexican  line  being  but  a  few  yards  from  the  muzzles  of  his 
guns.  The  first  discharge  of  canister  wavered  the  enemy,  and 
the  second  and  third  drove  them  back  in  disorder  and  saved  the 
day. 

No  further  attempt  was  made  by  the  enemy  to  force  our 
position,  and  the  approach  of  night  gave  an  opportunity  to 
refresh  our  soldiers.  During  the  night  the  wounded  were  re- 
moved to  Saltillo,  and  seven  fresh  companies  were  drawn  from 
the  town,  and  Brigadier-General  Marshall,  with  a  reinforce- 
ment of  Kentucky  cavalry  and  four  guns,  was  near  at  hand, 
when  it  was  discovered  that  Santa  Anna  had  abandoned  his 
position  during  the  night,  and  our  scouts  learned  that  he  had 
fallen  back  upon  Agua  Nueva.  The  great  disparity  of  num- 
bers and  the  exhausted  condition  of  our  troops  rendered  it 
inexpedient  and  hazardous  to  give  pursuit. 

General  Taylor,  by  a  reconnoisance  later  in  the  day,  found 
that  Santa  Anna's  position  was  occupied  only  by  a  small  body 
of  cavalry,  and  that  his  artillery  and  infantry  were  retreating  tn 
the  direction  of  San  Luis  Potosi  in  greatly  reduced  numbers, 
suffering  from  hunger  and  with  the  dead  and  dying  strewing 
the  road. 

The  American  force  engaged  at  Buena  Vista  was  officially 
shown  to  be  334  officers  and  4425  men,  exclusive  of  the  small 
number  left  at  and  near  Saltillo.  The  strength  of  the  Mexican 
army,  as  stated  by  Santa  Anna,  was  20,000.  Our  loss  was  267 
killed  and  456  wounded  and  23  missing.  The  Mexican  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  may  fairly  be  estimated  at  1,500  to  2,000. 
At  least  500  of  their  killed  were  left  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Thus  ended  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  with  the  vaunted  boast 
of  Santa  Anna  that  his  20,000  Mexicans  would  cut  our  little 
army  to  pieces  if  Gen.  Taylor  did  not  surrender.  Considering 
the  difference  in  numbers,  it  was  one  of  the  grandest  victories 
ever  won  by  American  troops. 

The  battle  of  Buena  Vista  was  the  last  of  General  Taylor's  ser- 


226  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

vices  in  the  military  field,  and  as  he  returned  home  his  fame 
had  everywhere  preceded  him,  and  his  march  was  a  grand  tri- 
umph as  he  stopped  from  place  to  place  on  his  route  to  receive 
the  honors  his  countrymen  poured  upon  him.  In  addition  to 
his  military  honors,  he  had  also  been  nominated  as  a  candidate 
for  the  Presidency  by  the  overwhelming  enthusiasm  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  in  November,  1848,  he  was  elected,  having  received  163 
electoral  votes,  while  his  opponent,  General  Cass,  received  127. 
He  was  inaugurated  on  the  5th  of  March,  1849,  the  4th  having 
fallen  upon  Sunday. 

His  administration,  though  a  quiet  one,  presented  to  him 
many  difficulties  which  to  the  old  soldier  were  harder  to  over- 
come than  an  enemy  on  the  field.  He  was  a  good  soldier,  but  a 
poor  statesman,  and  was  therefore  compelled  to  rely  greatly  on 
his  friends  and  cabinet  for  guidance  in  his  administration. 
But  both  the  nation  and  his  particular  friends  and  advisers 
anticipated  that  his  practical  good  pense  and  honesty  of  pur- 
pose would  soon  be  supplemented  by  a  developed  statesman- 
ship that  would  close  his  administration  with  credit. 

The  disappointment  to  the  country,  however,  was  to  come 
not  from  his  failure  to  acquire  the  qualities  necessary  for  meet- 
ing the  demands  of  the  executive  position,  but  from  another 
most  unexpected  and  melancholy  source— his  death,  which 
occurred  on  the  9th  of  July,  1850,  a  little  over  a  year  after  his 
inauguration. 

The  sorrow  of  the  nation  was  deep,  and  the  entire  country 
engaged  in  solemn  honor  to  the  dead  hero  and  President  iu 
processions  and  funeral  orations.  The  services  in  Washington 
City,  -where  he  was  temporarily  interred,  were  particularly 
imposing.  And  two  months  later,  when  his  remains  were  con- 
veyed to  their  last  resting  place  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  the 
honors  to  the  illustrious  dead  were  renewed. 

"  But  strew  his  ashes  to  the  wind, 
Whose  sword  or  voice  has  served  mankind, 
And  is  he  dead  whose  glorious  mind 
Lifts  thine  on  high  ? 
To  live  in  hearts  we  leave  behind 
Is  not  to  die." 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR.  227 

And  thus  the  old  hero  of  Palo- Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma, 
Monterey  and  Buena  Vista,  while  sleeping  beneath  the  sod,  still 
lives  in  the  memories  of  his  admiring  countrymen. 


MILLARD     FILLMORE. 


Millard  Fillmore  was  the  second  Vice-President  raised  to  the 
Executive  chair  by  the  death  of  the  people's  first  choice,  and 
the  nation  perhaps  possessed  at  that  time  none  better  qualified 
to  supply  the  vacancy  than  this  polished  statesman. 

The  subject  of  our  biography  was  born  at  Summer  Hill, 
Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  17th  of  January,  1800,  of  poor 
but  highly  respectable  parents.  His  early  life  was  passed  upon 
his  father's  farm,  where  young  Fillmore  did  not  differ  from  the 
typical  country  boy  in  his  labors,  sports  and  educational  advan- 
tages, and  it  is  said  that  he  could  catch  fish  equal  with  any  of 
his  youthful  companions,  and  dive  as  far  beneath  the  waters  of 
the  old  mill  pond  as  the  best  of  them. 

His  character  had  been  molded  in  the  right  direction  by  the 
sacred  teaching  of  a  Christian  mother,  who  had  made  the  Bible 
the  light  of  her  home,  and  from  its  glorious  truths  instilled 
nobility  into  his  soul. 

The  log  school-house  was  a  prominent  institution  of  his  early 
life,  and  within  its  walls  he  acquired  the  foundation  of  the  edu- 
cation which  in  later  years  was  to  raise  him  so  far  above  his 
schoolmates;  and  what  the  poor  facilities  of  the  school  failed  to 
contribute  to  his  mind  was  made  up  by  the  moral  influence  of 
his  home  and  the  practical  information  he  was  acquiring  from 
observation. 

Thus  he  plodded  along  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age, 
when  his  father  sent  him  to  Livingston  County  to  learn  to 
weave  cloth  at  a  prominent  mill.  Here  he  would  perhaps  have 
settled  down  to  the  dull,  monotonous  life  of  a  weaver,  had  it 
not  been  for  an  unexpected  advantage  presented  at  that  time. 
He  found  in  the  neighboring  village  a  small  public  library,  which 
eome  enterprising  men  of  the  place  had  struggled  to  establish, 


280  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

This  to  Fillmore  was  as  the  rose  blossoming  in  the  desert,  and  he 
devoted  his  leisure  hours  to  storing  his  mind  with  this  unexpected 
wealth.  Selecting  the  most  valuable  books  of  the  collection 
upon  all  general  subjects  of  information,  he  became  so  well 
informed  by  the  time  he  was  nineteen  years  old  that,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  fine  personal  appearance,  he  attracted  the  attention  of 
a  prominent  lawyer  and  judge  in  the  neighborhood,  who,  seeing 
in  the  young  man  the  material  for  a  life  of  more  extended  use- 
fulness, advised  him  to  study  law,  and  as  young  Fillmore  was 
not  able  to  stand  the  expense,  the  judge  kindly  took  him  into 
his  law  office  and  advanced  him  money  when  needed. 

Hope  and  determination  now  beat  high  in  the  young  man's 
breast,  when  he  could  see  a  higher  destiny  in  life  for  himself 
than  that  of  a  cloth-weaver,  and  he  made  every  effort  to  advance 
in  his  studies,  helping  himself  by  teaching  school  and  in  various 
ways  to  meet  his  expenses  without  drawing  on  the  generosity 
of  his  friend  and  instructor. 

After  two  years'  study  in  the  little  village  law  office,  Fillmore 
went  to  Buffalo  to  secure  the  higher  advantages  of  study  in  the 
city,  where  he  remained  still  two  years  longer  in  his  preparation 
for  the  bar. 

At  the  end  of  his  two  years'  study  in  Buffalo,  in  1823,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  immediately  afterward  settled  in  Au- 
rora, in  his  native  county,  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
Here  his  modest  expectations  were  so  fully  realized  that  in  1826 
he  took  unto  himself  a  partner,  not  in  the  practice  of  law,  but 
in  the  domestic  relations  of  his  life.  This  lady,  who  honored 
the  rising  young  lawyer  in  marriage,  and  was  in  turn  honored 
by  him,  was  the  beautiful  and  accomplished  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Lemuel  Powers,  and  whatever  of  this  world's  distinction 
came  to  Mr.  Fillmore  in  after  life,  he  certainly  looked  back  to 
those  first  years  of  his  practice  and  married  life  as  the  sweetest 
in  all  his  years  on  earth. 

His  progress  in  the  law  was  so  marked  that  a  partnership 
was  offered  him  in  Buffalo,  and  just  as  he  was  preparing  to 
remove  to  that  city  he  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Legislature,  to  represent  Erie  County.  The  fact  of  his 
being  a  Whig,  and  the  State  bsing  strongly  Democratic  at  the 


MILLARD  FILLMORE.  231 

time,  was  a  further  proof  of  the  popularity  of  the  rising  young 
lawyer.  Being  in  a  hopeless  minority,  it  could  not  be  expected 
that  the  young  representative  would'  be  able  to  push  through 
any  important  measures.  He,  however,  devoted  himself  earn- 
estly to  labor  in  behalf  of  the  bill  abolishing  imprisonment  for 
debt,  and  made  <i  very  eloquent  speech,  which  won  the  admira- 
tion even  of  his  opponents.  For  three  years  he  faithfully 
devoted  himself  to  the  interests  of  his  constituency,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  was  rewarded  by  them  with  a  seat  in  Con- 
gress. Here  he  remained  for  one  term,  and  then  returned  to 
Buffalo,  where  he  devoted  himself  more  assiduously  than  ever 
to  his  profession. 

In  1837,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his  friends,  he  again 
accepted  a  seat  in  Congress,  and  during  his  term  he  attracted 
attention  by  the  ability  with  which  he  discussed  public  measures 
and  the  firmness  with  which  he  opposed  those  he  believed  to  be 
unsafe  for  the  public  good.  At  the  time  he  took  his  seat  in 
Congress  the  great  conflict  between  President  Jackson  and  Con- 
gress, on  the  subject  of  the  National  Bank,  was  raging  fiercely, 
and  being  fanned  into  flame  by  the  leaders  of  the  contending 
hosts.  The  veto  of  the  Bank  Bill  and  the  removal  of  the 
deposits  had  stirred  the  political  opponents  of  Jackson  until  the 
greatest  statesmen  of  the  country  were  engaged  in  the  discus- 
sion, and  when  Mr.  Fillmore's  voice  could  not  be  heard  he  was 
imbibing  wisdom  from  his  silent  observation.  At  the  close  of 
his  term  he,  in  strange  contrast  to  the  ordinary  aspiring  Con- 
gressman, refused  to  be  returned  by  his  constituency,  and  once 
more  retired  to  his  favorite  practice  of  his  profession. 

Soon  after  this  it  became  necessary  for  the  Whig  party  to 
bring  forward  their  strongest  man  in  the  State  of  New  York  as 
a  candidate  for  Governor.  This  man  was  Millard  Fillmore, 
and  it  was  certainly  more  unfortunate  for  his  party  and  the 
State  that  he  was  defeated  than  it  was  for  himself.  In  the 
year  1847,  however,  the  voters  made  amends  by  electing  him 
Comptroller  of  the  State.  The  duties  of  this  important  office 
so  fully  required  his  services  at  the  State  capital  that  he  re- 
moved to  Albany.  Here  he  was  in  constant  association  with 
all  the  legislators  and  prominent  men  of  his  State,  and  it  was 


282  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

but  natural,  both  from  his  abilities  and  agreeable  social  man- 
ners, that  he  should  become  very  popular.  The  Whigs,  in  cast- 
ing about  for  a  strong  candidate  for  the  Vice-Presidency  to  be 
associated  with  the  name  of  Zachary  Taylor,  selected  Mr.  Fill- 
more.  This  was  a  popular  ticket.  The  old  hero  of  Buena 
Vista  was  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the  American  people,  and 
they  intended  to  elect  him  President.  They  did,  and  in  doing  so 
Mr.  Fillmore  became  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

As  presiding  officer  of  the  Senate,  Mr.  Fillmore  exercised  his 
duties  with  great  dignity  and  firmness.  Occupying  that  posi- 
tion at  a  time  when  fierce  debates  on  the  slavery  question  were 
frequently  indulged  in,  and  fiery  personal  remarks  hurled  from 
member  to  member,  it  certainly  needed  a  firm  man  to  main- 
tain order  and  keep  down  the  warring  elements.  Such  a  man 
Vice-President  Fillmore  proved  himself  to  be.  John  C.  Calhoun 
had  endeavored  to  establish  the  precedent  when  president  of 
the  Senate  that  he  had  no  right  to  call  a  Senator  to  order  for 
intemperate  words  spoken  in  debate.  But  Vice-President  Fill- 
more,  in  his  opening  speech,  announced  that  he  should  call 
Senators  to  order  for  the  use  of  offensive  language  on  all  occa- 
sions. 

Very  unexpectedly,  however,  Mr.  Fillmore  was  soon  to  be 
called  to  a  higher  position.  President  Taylor,  on  the  9th  of 
July,  1850,  was  taken  ill,  and  in  a  few  days  died,  which  called 
Mr.  Fillmore  to  the  Executive  chair  of  the  nation.  Almost  his 
first  conspicuous  act  was  to  select  Daniel  Webster  as  Secretary 
of  State,  and  he  likewise  made  other  excellent  appointments. 

He  also  deserves  the  highest  credit  for  the  manner  in  which  he 
treated  the  Cuban  filibustering  movement,  which  was  being 
set  on  foot  to  capture  that  island  for  the  extension  of  slavery. 

The  signs  of  the  coming  conflict  on  the  slavery  question 
were  evident  during  his  administration,  and  it  required  a  firm 
hand  on  the  reins  of  government  to  prevent  the  rashness  of  ex- 
tremists from  precipitating  a  conflict. 

Such  was  the  disturbed  condition  of  public  affairs  during 
Mr.  Fillmore's  administration,  and  it  was  with  a  sense  of  great 
relief  that  he  retired  from  the  office  on  the  4th  of  March,  1853. 

In  1856 he  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency  by  the  "Know- 


FILLMORfi.  &3& 

Nothing"  party,    but  was  defeated  by   Mr.    Buchanan,   the 
Democratic  candidate. 

After  this,  Mr.  Fillmore  mingled  no  more  in  politics,  but  re- 
tired to  his  home  in  Buffalo,  where  he  lived  a  quiet  and  serene 
life  until  the  8th  of  March,  1874,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years,  honored  by  all  as  one  of  the  purest  and 
most  upright  of  American  statesmen. 


FRANKLIN    PIERCE. 


Franklin  Pierce  belongs  to  the  line  of  Presidents  who  were 
born  too  late  to  engage  in  the  war  of  1812,  or  in  the  memorable 
Indian  wars  of  about  the  same  date,  but  as  one  of  the  veterans 
of  the  Mexican  war  he  won  laurels  which  brought  their  weight 
of  influence  in  the  presidential  canvass  that  elevated  him  to  the 
executive  chair  of  the  nation. 

Mr.  Pierce  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  on  the  23d  of 
November,  1804,  the  town  of  Hillsborough  having  the  honor  of 
his  nativity.  He  was  of  old  revolutionary  stock,  his  father 
haviag  been  a  soldier  in  the  war  for  independence.  His  ser- 
vices for  his  country  recommended  him  to  his  neighbors,  and  in 
civil  positions  he  was  frequently  called  upon  by  the  people  of 
his  locality  to  serve  them  ft  r  the  public  good.  This  naturally 
made  a  zealous  politician  of  him,  and  he  made  many  a  vigor- 
ous speech  in  opposition  to  the  Federalists,  and  especially  to 
John  Adams,  toward  whom  he  v.  as  particularly  antagonistic. 

It  was  thus  that  the  mind  of  young  Franklin  Pierce  was 
molded  by  that  of  his  father  into  a  true,  honorable  and  patri- 
otic channel  in  his  boyhood  on  the  Bible  principle  that  a  boy 
raised  in  the  way  he  should  go  will  not  depart  from  it  in  his 
after  life. 

The  boyhood  life  of  Franklin  Pierce  was  proverbial  for  the 
finest  traits  of  character,  and  when  he  entered  Bowdoin  College, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  the  highest  honors,  both  at  college  and  in 
after  life,  were  anticipated  for  him  by  almost  all  who  knew  him. 

At  college  he  made  such  good  progress  that  in  four  years  he 
graduated,  and  at  once  began  the  study  of  law  under  Judge 
Woodbury  in  his  native  village,  when,  after  the  usual  course  of 
study,  he  began  the  practice  of  law,  in  which  his  admiring 
townspeople  encouraged  him  by  giving  him  their  patronage. 


286  liVES  OF  Ottfe  PRESIDENTS. 

It  was  not  long  before  his  services  were  sought  for  to  repre- 
sent the  county  in  the  State  Legislature,  in  which  he  served  bis 
constituency  four  years,  during  which  time  he  rose  to  such 
prominence  that  he  was  elected  Speaker  of  the  House  for  two 
years. 

After  this  honors  came  so  thickly  on  him  that  they  seemed 
to  tread  upon  each  other's  heels.  In  1833  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, where,  true  to  his  life-long  principles  of  Democracy,  he 
earnestly  supported  the  administration  of  President  Jackson. 

In  1837  he  was  called  to  a  still  higher  position  by  his  election 
to  the  United  States  Senate.  Here,  although  the  youngest 
member  in  the  chamber,  he  won  the  respect  and  even  admira- 
ation  of  the  oldest  and  ablest  statesmen  there  by  the  flukey  of 
his  speech  and  the  soundness  of  his  judgment. 

In  the  year  1838  he  removed  to  Concord,  the  capital  of  his 
native  State,  where  his  law  practice  rapidly  increased,  while 
his  almost  universal  popularity  continued  to  grow. 

When  President  Polk  was  making  up  his  cabinet,  he  offered 
the  Attorney -Generalship  of  the  United  States  to  Mr.  Pierce, 
who  for  business  and  domestic  reasons  was  induced  to  decline 
the  honor.  But  lie  had  scarcely  declined  this  position  before 
the  Revolutionary  blood  in  his  veins  was  kindled  into  military 
ardor  by  the  Mexican  War,  and,  with  a  brigadier-general's  com- 
mission and  a  body  of  troops,  he  embarked  for  Mexico  on  the 
27th  of  May,  1848.  Reaching  Mexico  on  the  28th  of  June,  he 
disembarked  his  troops  on  the  beach  at  Virgara,  and  formed  a 
junction  with  five  hundred  troops  who  were  already  in  camp, 
training  mules.  Here  General  Pierce  remained  for  about  three 
weeks,  drilling  his  troops  and  breaking  in  wild  mules  and  mus- 
tangs for  wagon  service. 

On  the  14th  of  July  General  Pierce  began  to  break  camp, 
and  a  long  line  of  wagons  took  the  Jalapa  road  for  San  Juan, 
followed  the  next  morning  by  six  companies  of  infantry.  On 
the  16th,  with  the  last  of  the  troops  and  teams,  General  Pierce 
left  the  beach  to  follow  the  advance  to  San  Juan.  Of  the  inci- 
dents of  this  march  General  Pierce  wrote  as  follows  : 

"After  much  perplexity  and  delay,  on  account  of  the  unbroken  and 
intractable  teams,  I  left  the  camp  this  afternoon  at  5  o'clock  with 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE.  237 

the  Fourth  Artillery,  Watson's  Marine  Corps,  a  detachment  of  the  Third  Dra- 
goons and  about  forty  wagons.  The  road  was  very  heavy,  the  wheels  were 
sinking  almost  to  the  hubs  in  sand,  and  the  untried  and  untamed  teams 
almost  constantly  bolting  in  some  part  of  the  train.  We  were  occupied 
rather  in  breaking  the  animals  to  harness  than  in  performing  a  march.  At 
ten  o'clock  at  night  we  bivouacked  in  the  darkness  and  sand  by  the  wagons 
in  the  roads,  having  made  but  three  miles  from  camp." 

At  this  season  the  heat  was  so  terrific  that  marching  in  the 
middle  of  the  day  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  The  march  was 
therefore  resumed  at  four  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and  reaching 
Santa  Fe  at  eight  A.  M.,  the  army  went  into  camp  again  until  four 
P.  M.  General  Pierce  had  just  given  orders  to  break  camp  again, 
when  the  startling  intelligence  was  brought'  in  by  two  scouts 
that  a  body  of  Mexican  cavalry,  five  hundred  strong,  were 
chargmg  down  the  road  to  attack  the  troops.  General  Pierce 
immediately  ordered  the  troops  in  line  and  commanded  the 
road  with  artillery,  but  no  enemy  came  in  sight. 

The  inarch  was  then  resumed,  and  at  four  p.  M.,  in  a  most  ter- 
rific tropical  rain,  they  arrived  at  San  Juan.  The  rain  con- 
tinued for  several  days  and  nights  and  flooded  the  camp,  so 
that  it  was  pleasanter  to  continue  the  march  than  sitting  or 
lying  in  the  mud  and  water.  The  march  was  thereupon  re- 
sumed the  next  morning,  and  on  the  20th  the  entire  force 
arrived  at  Telema  Nueva.  After  leaving  this  place,  reconnoiter- 
ing  bodies  of  Mexican  cavalry  were  seen,  who,  when  pursued,  hid 
in  the  dense  chaparral  and  poured  a  hot  fire  upon  the  advance 
guard.  General  Pierce  immediately  ordered  the  artillery  to 
disperse  the  enemy  with  canister,  which  was  done  so  quickly 
that  the  Mexicans  were  not  seen  again.  The  enemy  were  so 
well  under  cover  when  they  opened  fire  that  for  a  time  it  was  a 
spirited  engagement,  but  American  canister  was  too  much  for 
them.  During  the  entire  day  the  Mexican  cavalry  had  been 
seen  hovering  upon  distant  hills  watching  the  march  of  the 
Americans,  and  just  as  the  troops  were  going  into  camp  at 
Pasco  de  Orejas,  a  body  of  the  horsemen  approached  so  near 
that  they  were  within  easy  range  of  a  cannon.  This  opportu- 
nity for  artillery  practice  was  too  good  to  be  lost,  and  General 
Pierce  ordered  a  few  loads  of  canister  sent  into  their  midst, 
which  dispersed  them  at  once. 


238  LIVES  OF  OUR   PRESIDENTS. 

Leaving  Pasco  de  Orejas  the  next  morning,  the  army  resumed 
its  march,  intending  to  make  Puente  Nacionale  for  their  next 
camp.  When  our  army  came  in  sight  of  the  town,  General 
Pierce,  from  a  high  hill,  made  a  close  examination  with  his 
glass  of  the  fortifications  of  the  place.  Here  he  found  a  strong 
force  occupying  a  bluff  nearly  two  hundred  feet  high,  which 
commanded  the  bridge  and  gave  entrance  to  the  town  from  the 
eastern  side  of  the  river.  This  bridge  was  also  barricaded  and 
defended  by  breastworks. 

With  the  military  perception  of  a  veteran  officer,  General 
Pierce  brought  forward  his  artillery  and  swept  away  the  barri- 
cade, dispersing  the  Mexican  cavalry  stationed  at  the  bridge. 
To  distract  the  attention  of  the  force  on  the  hill  General  Pierce 
opened  fire  upon  the  heights  with  his  artillery,  while  Colonel 
Bonham,  with  a  force  of  picked  men,  charged  the  bridge  and 
captured  it  so  quickly  that  they  had  passed  on  and  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  village  before  the  Mexicans  on  the  summit  knew 
what  had  been  accomplished.  They  were  therefore  so  com- 
pletely taken  by  surprise  and  panic  stricken  to  see  the  Ameri- 
cans charging  up  the  bluff,  that  they  turned  and  fled,  leaving  the 
fortifications  in  undisputed  possession  of  Colonel  B  >nham. 
When  the  stars  and  stripes  were  seen  floating  over  the  hill  the 
main  body  of  the  army  came  rapidly  into  the  town  and  found 
the  victory  so  complete  that  not  a  Mexican  soldier  could  be 
found  to  dispute  the  ground. 

In  this  engagement  General  Pierce  had  his  hat  pierced  by 
one  of  the  bullets  which,  for  a  time,  rattled  like  hail  around  our 
troops  from  the  Mexican  fire  from  the  hill. 

Encamping  in  this  town  for  the  night,  the  army  was  again 
in  motion  at  an  early  hour  the  next  day.  Later  in  the  day  they 
came  to  a  stream  with  precipitous  banks,  which  had  been 
spanned  by  a  magnificent  stone  bridge,  but  the  main  arch  had 
been  blown  up,  leaving  a  break  of  sixty  feet  or  more,  which 
appeared  to  be  impassable,  but  Captain  Bodfish,  one  of  the 
volunteers  from  Maine,  came  to  the  rescue,  and  with  a  detail 
of  five  hundred  men,  had  bridged  the  archway  in  three  hours 
with  a  road  over  which  the  army  and  baggage  passed  in  safety. 

Near  Cerro  Gordo  General  Pierce  made  a  forced  march  at 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE.  239 

the  head  of  a  body  of  cavalry  at  night,  for  the  purpose 
of  capturing  the  heights  commanding  the  road  over  which  his 
army  would  pass  on  the  following  day,  and  it  was  very  im- 
portant that  the  enemy  should  not  be  allowed  to  harass  his 
army  from  such  an  advantageous  position.  General  Pierce  set 
out  in  a  hard  rain  and  surrounded  by  pitchy  darkness,  and  after 
advancing  as  near  the  heights  as  was  safe,  they  slept  on  their 
arms  until  the  first  faint  streaka  of  light  guided  their  way,  and 
charging  the  small  body  of  Mexicans  they  found  upon  one  of  the 
heights,  and  throwing  a  few  charges  of  canister  into  their  midst 
from  a  six-pounder,  they  quickly  dispersed  them,  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  hills,  and  the  army  passed  safely  over  the  road. 
That  night  they  encamped  at  a  beautiful  hacienda  belong- 
ing to  Santa  Anna,  which  had  a  pure  stream  of  sparkling  cool 
water  running  through  it. 

At  noon  the  next  day  the  army  arrived  at  Jalapa,  whereafter 
a  short  halt  through  the  heat  of  the  day,  they  pushed  on  and 
encamped  for  the  night  beyond  the  town.  Thus,  day  after  day, 
under  many  difficulties  of  tropical  heat,  sickness  of  his  men, 
terrific  storms  of  rain  and  the  more  than  usual  obstacles  of  a 
march,  General  Pierce  continued  to  lessen  the  distance  between 
himself  and  the  main  army  of  General  Scott,  with  whom  he  was 
to  effect  a  junction. 

Of  his  arrival  at  the  Castle  of  Perote  General  Pierce  wrote  as 
follows : 

"  I  reached  the  castle  before  dark,  and  Colonel  Windcoop,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  castle,  with  Captain  Walker's  elegant  company  of  mounted 
riflemen,  kindly  tendered  me  his  quarters.  But  I  adhered  to  a  rule,  from 
which  I  have  never  deviated  on  the  march,  to  see  the  rear  of  the  command 
safely  in  camp;  and  when  they  pitched  their  tents,  to  pitch  my  own.  The 
rear  guard,  in  consequence  of  the  broken  condition  of  the  road,  did  not  arrive 
until  nine  o'clock,  when  our  tents  were  pitched  in  darkness,  and  in  the  sand 
which  surrounds  the  castle  on  all  sides." 

The  next  day  a  detachment  of  cavalry  arrived  from  General 
Scott,  to  learn  the  condition  of  General  Pierce  and  his  troops, 
and  to  assist  them  if  in  danger  or  render  them  aid  in  reaching 
the  main  army. 

After  placing  his  sick  in  the  hospital  at  the  Castle  of  Perote, 


240  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

General  Pierce  resumed  his  inarch  and  reached  the  main  army 
under  General  Scott  at  Pueblo  on  the  7th  of  August. 

Thus  ended  the  long  and  arduous  march  begun  on  the  13th  of 
July,  under  a  tropical  sun  and  tropical  rains  and  the  constant 
dangers  of  an  attack  by  the  enemy,  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
piece  of  artilery  or  baggage  and  scarcely  the  loss  of  a  man, 
the  latter  loss  being  either  from  sickness  or  from  soldiers  being 
killed  while  venturing  away  from  camp. 

As  soon  as  General  Pierce  arrived  with  the  reinforcements, 
General  Scott  prepared  at  once  to  march  upon  and  attack  the 
city  of  Mexico.  To  prevent  a  surprise  and  to  hold  the  Ameri- 
cans in  check,  Santa  Anna  had  a  force  of  seven  or  eight 
thousand  soldiers  at  Contreras.  This  force  General  Scott  found 
it  necessary  for  his  plans  to  capture  or  cut  them  off  from  com- 
munication with  the  city  of  Mexico.  To  accomplish  this  he 
ordered  a  detachment  of  troops  under  disguise  of  their  inten- 
tions to  take  possession  of  the  strong  position  in  the  rear  of  the 
Mexican  detachment.  To  distract  the  attention  of  the  enemy 
from  the  real  purpose,  General  Scott  ordered  General  Pierce  to 
advance  with  four  thousand  troops  and  attack  the  Mexicans  in 
front. 

The  assault  was  fiercely  made  and  as  fiercely  met.  The 
Mexicans  were  not  only  two  to  one,  but  they  occupied  a 
strongly  fortified  position,  and  the  ground  was  so  rough  that 
the  Mexican  skirmishers  could  conceal  themselves  behind  the 
rocks,  from  which  they  poured  a  murderous  fire.  The  storm  of 
shot  and  shell  hurled  by  the  Mexican  gunners  was  terrific,  but 
bad  gunnery  may  be  said  to  have  saved  General  Pierce's  troops 
from  a  signal  defeat. 

During  the  hottest  of  the  engagement,  the  horse  of  General 
Pierce,  while  being  urged  to  the  head  of  the  column,  slipped 
upon  the  rocks  and  fell,  breaking  his  leg  and  falling  heavily 
upon  General  Pierce,  who  was  badly  crushed  by  the  fall,  and 
suffered  intensely  from  a  sprained  knee.  A  surgeon  was  im- 
mediately sent  for,  who  rendered  some  immediate  assistance  to 
General  Pierce  where  he  lay  under  the  shelter  of  the  rock,  by 
which  he  recovered  consciousness  and  immediately  asserted  his 
intention  of  rejoining  the  troops.  Another  horse  being  secured, 


FRANKLIN"    PIERCE.  241 

he  was  assisted  into  the  saddle,  and  although  scarcely  able  to 
keep  his  seat,  he  hurried  again  to  the  front. 

When  night  closed  the  battle  the  rain  was  pouring  down  hi 
sheets,  but  General  Pierce  remained  in  his  saddle  until  near 
midnight,  securing  a  sheltered  position  for  his  troops  from  the 
artillery  of  the  enemy  before  he  sought  rest  for  himself,  if  such 
a  term  could  be  applied  to  tossing  upon  a  wagon  in  the  rain 
under  the  tortures  of  a  sprained  knee. 

During  the  night  General  Pierce  received  orders  from  General 
Scott  to  be  ready  for  a  fresh  assault  at  daylight,  and  again,  by 
the  first  glimpse  of  dawn,  General  Pierce  had  formed  his  men, 
and  they  were  again  dashing  upon  the  enemy's  front,  while  a 
fierce  and  unexpected  charge  was  being  made  upon  their  rear. 
From  such  a  charge  and  such  a  surprise  there  could  be  natur- 
ally but  one  result— the  overwhelming  of  the  Mexicans.  In 
just  seventeen  minutes,  by  the  official  statement,  our  victory 
was  complete,  and  the  Mexicans  fled  in  perfect  demoralization, 
leaving  many  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  victorious  Ameri- 
cans. 

General  Pierce  joined  hi  the  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  Mexicans, 
who  were  found  dead  and  dying  all  along  the  route  of  the  ter- 
rified retreat,  and  the  pursuit  was  kept  up  until  almost  under 
the  walls  of  Cherubusco. 

Fearing  that  Santa  Anna  would  reach  the  city  of  Mexico 
with  his  troops  and  strengthen  the  stronghold,  General  Scott 
ordered  General  Pierce's  command  to  push  rapidly  forward  and 
attack  Santa  Anna  in  the  rear.  Fearing  that  General  Pierce 
was  too  weak  for  the  un  dertaking,  General  Scott  tried  to  per- 
suade him  to  remain  behind,  but  he  pleaded  so  hard  to  go  with 
his  soldiers  that  General  Scott  yielded.  He  went,  but  his 
strength  was  not  adequate,  and  in  the  hottest  of  the  battle  of 
Cherubusco  he  fell  to  the  ground  exhausted,  and  remained 
sending  cheering  words  to  his  officers  and  men  until  Santa 
Anna  proposed  the  armistice  which  ended  the  battle.  General 
Pierce  was  selected  by  General  Scott  as  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners to  treat  with  the  Mexican  general,  but  nothing  was 
agreed  upon,  and  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  it  was  only 
proposed  by  Santa  Anna  to  gain  time. 


242  LIVES  OF  OUK  PKESIDENfS. 

On  the  8th  of  September  General  Pierce  was  engaged  in  the 
bloody  battle  of  Molino  del  Key  under  General  Worth,  and 
assisted  in  the  defeat  of  the  enemy.  In  this  engagement  a  shell 
burst  within  a  few  feet  of  General  Pierce,  and  he  sustained  a 
severe  shock  from  the  concussion,  and  was  soon  afterward 
taken  so  ill  that  he  could  not  engage  in  the  assault  upon  Che- 
pultepec,  which  took  place  a  few  days  after. 

But  General  Pierce's  military  career  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
Almost  immediately  after  this  the  city  of  Mexico  fell  into  our 
hands  and  the  war  was  ended. 

In  December  General  Pierce  departed  for  his  home,  where  he 
received  an  enthusiastic  greeting  from  his  friends  and  political 
admirers.  Here,  in  resuming  law  and  politics,  he  more  fully 
than  ever  allied  himself  to  the  pro-slavery  sentiment  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  the  Southern  wing  of  the  party,  in 
casting  about  in  then-  minds  for  a  suitable  man  who  could 
carry  certain  Northern  States,  set  their  thoughts  on  General 
Pierce,  and  in  the  Democratic  National  Convention  which  met 
at  Baltimore  on  the  12th  of  June,  1852,  after  a  number  of 
ballotings,  General  Pierce's  name  was  brought  forward,  and, 
after  some  further  balloting,  he  received  two  hundred  and 
eighty-two  votes,  against  eleven  cast  for  other  candidates. 

The  candidate  of  the  Whig  party  was  General  Winfield  Scott, 
and  grand  old  military  hero  that  he  was,  his  party  could  not 
stem  the  tide  of  Democratic  opposition,  and  General  Pierce  was 
elected  by  an  overwhelming  majority. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1853,  he  was  inaugurated  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  began  an  administration  which  is  mem- 
orable for  the  continual  conflicts  on  the  subject  of  slavery. 
Even  then  the  coming  events  of  the  civil  war  were  casting  their 
shadows  before.  Even  then  the  demands  of  slavery,  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  the  battle  for  slavery  or  anti- 
slavery  fought  at  the  polls  in  Kansas  with  revolvers  and  bowie- 
knives,  all  pointed,  like  the  needle  to  the  pole,  to  the  shock  of 
battle  and  the  red  baptism  of  the  battle-field. 

During  President  Pierce's  administration  he  stood  firmly  for 
the  South  in  all  his  actions,  and  tried  to  conciliate  them  wher- 
ever their  will  was  thwarted.  So  marked  were  his  pro-slavery 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE.  243 

sympathies  that  the  popularity  which  had  carried  Northern 
States  for  him  in  his  election  was  all  gone  from  him,  and  when 
another  Presidential  campaign  drew  near,  the  Democratic  party 
saw  that  defeat  would  be  inevitable  with  President  Pierce  as 
their  candidate. 

Thjis  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  Mr.  Pierce  retired  to  bis 
home  with  almost "  none  so  poor  to  do  him  reverence."  Here 
domestic  sorrows  soon  clouded  his  life  by  the  sudden  death  of 
his  only  surviving  child,  followed  soon  by  the  death  of  his  wife. 

From  that  date  he  lived  quietly  at  Concord,  almost  forgotten 
by  the  outside  world  until  his  death  in  October,  1869,  which 
left  only  his  immediate  friends  and  neighbors  to  mourn  his 
departure. 


JAMES    BUCHANAN. 


James  Buchanan,  the  fifteenth  President  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  at  Stony  Batter,  Franklin  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  the  23d  of  April,  1791,  and  his  early  boyhood  life  was 
passed  in  one  of  the  loveliest  and  most  romantic  spots  among 
the  AUeghany  Mountains.  The  little  farm  of  his  father  was 
located  in  a  gorge  of  the  mountain,  with  grand  forests  covering 
the  slopes  and  beauteous  nature  in  gayest  attire. 

Such  was  the  early  home  of  James  Buchanan,  whose  father 
had  emigrated  from  Ireland  in  1783,  and  after  marrying  the 
daughter  of  a  Pennsylvania  farmer,  had  moved  to  this  wild 
and  romantic  spot  and  built  a  log  cabin  and  cleared  a  few  acres 
for  cultivation.  Here,  like  the  characteristic  pioneer,  he  grew 
up  with  the  country,  as  it  were,  and,  being  possessed  of  a  good 
English  education,  became  a  leader  in  the  county.  His  wife 
was  also  possessed  of  a  superior  mind  and  a  fine  literary  taste, 
and  with  these  qualities,  coupled  with  a  deep  and  earnest  piety, 
she  proved  a  most  worthy  mother,  and  deserves  much  credit 
for  the  success  of  her  son. 

Both  father  and  mother  being  anxious  to  give  their  son  the 
benefit  of  a  good  education,  removed  when  he  was  eight  years 
of  age  to  Mercersburg,  where  young  James  was  instructed  in 
English*  Latin  and  Greek.  Being  a  bright  scholar,  he  made 
rapid  progress  in  his  studies,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
entered  Dickinson  College,  at  Carlisle,  where  he  became  one  of 
the  foremost  students  in  the  institution,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  graduated  with  the  highest  honors. 

It  must  not  be  thought,  because  of  his  early  development  of  a 
manly,  studious  disposition,  that  young  Buchanan  was  not 
possessed  of  the  natural  vivacity  of  a  boy.  His  early  life  had 
been  mixed  with  toil  and  recreation,  He  could  hoe  potatoes 


246  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

like  an  old  farmer,  and  he  could  climb  trees  like  a  young 
monkey,  and  in  all  boyhood  sports  was  unexcelled.  True  to 
boyish  human  nature,  he  dearly  loved  to  fish  and  hunt.  He 
could  land  more  of  the  finny  tribe  and  pop  over  more  squirrels 
than  almost  any  boy  of  his  age,  and  as  for  eating  either,  his 
appetite  was  always  good. 

In  December,  1809,  Mr.  Buchanan  went  to  Lancaster  to  begin 
the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1812.  He  rose 
rapidly  in  his  profession,  and  soon  became  one  of  the  foremost 
young  lawyers  in  the  State,  and  it  is  stated  that  his  name  ap- 
peared in  the  Pennsylvania  reports  more  frequently  than  that 
of  any  other  lawyer  of  his  day. 

One  of  his  most  important  and  successful  cases  was  his  cele- 
brated defense  in  the  Pennsylvania  Senate,  in  1816,  of  a  prominent 
judge  of  the  State,  who  was  arraigned  on  articles  of  impeach- 
ment. It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  his  client  was  cleared  of 
the  charge,  and  Mr.  Buchanan's  reputation  rose  to  a  higher 
point  than  ever. 

At  the  age  of  thirty  he  had  become  so  prominent  and  popular 
that  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  to  which  position  he  was  con- 
secutively returned  for  ten  years,  until  he  declined  any  further 
re-election.  His  object  in  refusing  longer  to  occupy  a  seat  in 
Congress  was  not  from  a  desire  to  return  to  his  legal  practice, 
for  in  1831  he  retired  from  his  profession  to  rest  upon  his  honors 
and  the  competent  fortune  he  had  secured. 

In  taking  up  the  record  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  political  life,  we 
find  him,  in  1814,  in  a  public  meeting  in  Lancaster,  calling  upon 
the  people  to  volunteer  for  the  defense  of  our  country  against 
England;  and  sotting  the  example,  he  himselfbecame  a  volun- 
teer and  marched  to  the  defense  of  Baltimore. 

After  this,  in  politics,  Mr.  Buchanan  became  a  Federalist,  until 
the  acts  of  the  party,  which  Mr.  Buchanan  could  not  indorse, 
brought  it  into  bad  repute,  and  he  gradually  espoused  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Republicans.  One  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  first  public 
acts  was  to  oppose  the  establishment  of  a  United  States  Bank. 

The  first  prepared  speech  delivered  by  Mr.  Buchanan  in  Con- 
gress was  in  favor  of  a  military  appropriation  bill  to  cover 
sonic  deficiencies  in  the  Indian  Department.  This  was  a  most 


JAMES  BUCHANAN.  247 

able  effort,  and  so  attracted  attention  that  the  public  news- 
papers of  the  time  published  it  in  full. 

Mr.  Buchanan  proved  himself  to  be  one  of  the  most  vigilant  of 
Congressmen ;  one  who  constantly  watched  the  interests  of  his 
constituency  first  and  the  general  public  good  next.  He  was 
in  every  proper  sense  of  the  word  an  economist,  wherever  he 
believed  the  public  funds  too  liberally  dispensed,  and  on  ap- 
propriation bills  he  was  always  ready  to  investigate  their  merits 
and  speak  upon  any  of  their  defects  or  extravagancies.  During 
his  first  session  in  Congress  he  espoused  the  cause  of  General 
Jackson,  when  the  conduct  of  the  old  patriot  and  soldier  in 
Florida  was  being  censured,  and  Mr.  Buchanan  was  earnest  in 
his  efforts  to  have  the  charges  investigated.  In  urging  this  upon 
Congress,  he  said: 

'  The  most  serious  consequences  might  be  expected  to  result, 
if,  after  charges  of  this  sort  were  made  against  an  individual, 
the  House  should  avoid  meeting  the  questions;  should  put  them 
to  sleep  by  permanently  laying  them  on  the  table.  He  for  one 
was  willing  to  meet  the  proper  responsibility  of  declaring  his 
opinion  either  of  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  this  distinguished 
individual." 

But  by  far  the  most  important  speech  delivered  by  Mr. 
Buchanan  during  his  first  session  in  Congress  was  on  the  Bank- 
rupt Law.  This  bill  was  insidiously  drawn  up  at  a  time 
when  the  country  was  suffering  so  great  a  stagnation  of 
general  business  and  universal  suffering  of  all  classes,  that  the 
public  were  ready  to  fly  to  any  plausible  means  of  immediate 
relief .  Mr.  Buchanan  had  given  this  bill  his  careful  attention, 
and  just  before  it  was  taken  up  for  a  final  reading,  he  secured 
the  floor  and  delivered  one  of  the  most  powerful  speeches  against 
the  bill  to  which  he  ever  gave  utterance.  The  bill  was  so 
framed  as  to  extend  its  benefits  not  only  to  the  mercantile 
classes,  but  to  every  industry  in  the  land,  and  Mr.  Buchanan 
saw  in  this  an  open  door  to  universal  dishonesty  and  trickery; 
an  invitation  to  wild  and  reckless  speculation,  and  so  utter  a 
disregard  of  the  conscientious  obligations  of  credit  that  the 
very  foundations  of  business  would  be  subverted.  This  was 
the  position  he  assumed  against  the  biU, 


248  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

"  Witt  you,"  said  he,  in  one  of  his  arguments,  "pass  a  bankrupt  law  for  the 
farmer?  Will  you  teach  that  vast  body  of  our  best  citizens  to  disregard 
the  f  aith  of  contracts  ?  Are  you  prepared  to  sanction  a  principle  by  which 
the  whole  mass  of  society  will  be  in  danger  of  being  demoralized?  Audit  will 
be  left  to  an  election  by  every  man's  creditors,  in  which  a  majority  of  two- 
thirds  in  number  and  value  against  the  consent  of  the  remainder  shall  have 
the  power  of  discharging  him  from  all  the  obligations  of  his  contracts. 
Surely  the  House  of  Representatives  are  not  prepared  to  answer  these  ques- 
t'ons  in  the  affirmative.  No  nation  in  the  world,  whether  commercial  or 
agricultural,  whether  civilized  or  savage,  has  ever  for  a  moment  entertained 
the  idea  of  extending  the  operation  of  its  bankrupt  laws  beyond  the  class  of 
traders." 

At  the  close  of  his  long  and  powerful  speech  the  vote  was 
taken  on  the  bill  and  it  was  defeated,  the  vote  being  99  against 
and  72  in  favor.  On  the  question  of  the  tariff,  brought  up  in 
the  second  session  of  the  Seventeenth  Congress,  Mr.  Buchanan 
expressly  favored  a  tariff  for  revenue  only. 

In  the  Eighteenth  Congress,  which  convened  on  the  first  of 
December,  1828,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  placed  on  the  Judiciary 
Committee.  It  was  in  this  session  that  Mr.  Buchanan  first  had 
1  he  opportunity  of  measuring  swords  with  Daniel  Webster. 
Mr.  Webster  opposed  the  Tariff  bill  and  Mr.  Buchanan  again 
favored  it  for  revenue  only.  Henry  Clay  brought  all  lu's  able 
powers  to  bear  in  favor  of  the  bill,  and  General  Jackson  urged 
its  passage  in  the  Senate.  Arrayed  as  were  the  giants  of  those 
days,  the  bill  passed  by  only  five  majority  in  the  House  and 
three  in  the  Senate. 

At  this  session  of  Congress  Mr.  Buchanan  had  publicly 
favored  General  Jackson  for  the  Presidency.  There  were  then 
four  candidates  in  the  field,  General  Jackson,  Henry  Clay, 
John  Quincy  Adams  and  W.  H.  Crawford,  and  before  the 
meeting  of  the  second  session  of  this  Congress  it  was  known 
that  the  election  of  President  would  take  place  in  the  House, 
owing  to  neither  candidate  having  received  a  constitutional 
majority  of  electoral  votes,  and  this  business  was  the  most 
important  and  exciting  which  could  possibly  be  brought  up 
during  the  session.  Upon'  this  occasion  Mr.  Buchanan  made 
himself  conspicuous  and  popular  by  taking  a  firm  stand  against 
excluding  the  public  from  the  galleries  during  the  balloting 
for  President; 


JAMES  BUCHANAN.  349 

This  election  in  the  House  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
selections  of  a  President  made  in  the  country,  and  as  such  is 
too  familiar  to  the  public  io  be  particularized.  The  charge 
against  Mr.  Clay  of  "bargain  and  sale  "  has  long  since  been 
clearly  refuted,  but  the  blame  of  a  conscientious  public  will 
ever  rest  upon  his  memory  for  declaring  against  the  expressed 
will  of  the  people  in  favor  of  General  Jackson,  simply  because 
Mr.  Clay  was  prejudiced  against  military  Presidents.  In  this 
Mr.  Buchanan  was  one  of  the  first  men  to  see  that  Mr.  Clay 
had  sacrificed  all  his  brilliant  prospects  for  the  future.  The 
people  generally  resent  a  disregard  of  their  will,  and  their 
disapproval  was  plainly  shown  in  the  manner  in  which  they 
placed  the  old  hero  of  New  Orleans  in  the  Presidential  chair  at 
the  next  election  by  a  majority  that  gave  Congress  no  oppor- 
tunity to  make  a  President  they  did  not  want. 

In  the  Nineteenth  Congress  an  important  debate  took  place  on 
a  bill  from  the  Judiciary  Committee.  The  bill  was  presented 
by  Mr.  Webster,  chairman  of  the  committee,  and  Mr.  Buchanan, 
as  a  member  of  the  committee,  spoke  upon  the  bill,  against 
which  much  unexpected  opposition  had  been  raised.  Mr.  Buch- 
anan's speech  was  particularly  able,  and  it  has  been  asserted 
that  no  speech  on  a  similar  subject  ever  embraced  such  wide 
range  of  acquaintance  with  law  and  jurisprudence  as  did  this 
effort  of  Mr.  Buchanan. 

During  this  session  of  Congress  Mr.  Buchanan,  with  almost 
prophetic  vision,  opposed  the  mission  to  the  Congress  of  Panama 
which  President  Adams  proposed  and  Mr.  Clay  so  enthusias- 
tically supported.  Mr.  Buchanan  made  a  very  able  speech  on 
the  subject,  in  which,  while  giving  his  cordial  support  and 
recognition  to  the  independence  of  the  South  American  repub- 
lics, he  earnestly  protested  against  our  forming  any  alliance  with 
the  hybrid  races  of  the  Southern  Continent,  which  would  result 
in  constantly  embroiling  us  in  complications  with  other  powers. 

One  of  the  first  bills  which  came  up  in  the  second  session  of 
the  Nineteenth  Congress  was  one  for  granting  pensions  to  sur- 
viving officers  of  the  Revolution.  In  the  face  of  much  opposi- 
tion Mr.  Buchanan  defended  this  bill  so  ably  that  it  finally  be* 
r.>mp  a  law, 


250  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

In  the  Twentieth  Congress,  which  assembled  on  the  3d  of 
December,  1827,  Mr.  Buchanan  entered  vigorously  into  the 
arena  in  discussing  important  measures  before  the  House.  On 
the  subject  of  retrenchment,  ho  urged  the  application  of  the 
simplest  rules  of  national  economy.  In  reference  to  reducing 
the  pay  of  Congressmen  he  said  : 

"  In  relation  to  this  question  I  formed  a  deliberate  opinion  six  years  ago, 
which  my  experience  ever  since  has  served  to  strengthen  and  confirm,  that 
the  per  diem  allowance  of  members  of  Congress  ought  to  be  reduced.  As  a 
compensation  for  our  loss  of  time,  it  is  at  present  wholly  inadequate.  There 
is  no  gentleman  fit  to  bo  in  Congress  who  pursues  any  active  business  at 
home,  who  does  not  sustain  a  clear  loss  by  his  attendance  here.  If  we  con- 
sider our  pay  in  reference  to  our  individual  expenses,  it  is  too  much.  It  is 
more  than  sufficient  to  cover  our  expenses.  I  believe  that  the  best  interests 
of  the  country  require  that  it  should  be  reduced  to  a  sum  no  more  than 
sufficient  to  enable  us  to  live  comfortably  while  we  are  here." 

Soon  after  this,  in  a  debate  on  this  same  bill,  Mr.  Buchanan 
reviewed  Mr.  Adams' administration,  and  in  ventilating  its  many 
abuses  he  insisted  upon  a  thorough  investigation  being  made. 
"  What,  sir!"  said  he,  with  eloquent  energy,  "are  we  told  that 
we  shall  not  inquire  into  the  existence  of  abuses  in  this  Govern- 
ment, because  such  an  inquiry  might  tend  to  make  the  Gov- 
ernment less  popular  ?  This  is  new  doctrine  to  me — doctrine 
that  I  never  heard 'before  on  this  floor.  Liberty,  sir,  is 
a  precious  gift  which  can  never  long  be  enjoyed  by  any  people 
without  the  most  watchful  jealousy.  The  very  possession  of 
power  has  a  strong,  a  natural  tendency  to  corrupt  the  heart.  If 
the  Government  has  been  administered  upon  correct  principles, 
an  intelligent  people  will  do  justice  to  their  rulers  ;  if  not,  they 
will  take  care  that  every  abuse  shall  be  corrected." 

Having  occasion,  in  this  same  speech,  to  refer  to  the  dress 
prescribed  by  the  administration  for  our  foreign  Ministers,  in 
his  effective  picture  of  this  attempt  to  pattern  after  foreign 
courts,  he  said:  "Imagine  to  yourself  a  grave  and  venerable 
statesman,  who  never  attended  a  militia  training  in  his  life,  but 
who  has  been  elevated  to  the  station  of  foreign  Minister  in  con- 
sequence of  his  civil  attainments,  appearing  at  court  arrayed  in 
this  military  coat,  with  a  chapeau  under  his  arm  and  a  small 
sword  dangling  at  his  side." 


JAMES   BUCHANAN.  251 

The  next  important  service  of  Mr.  Buchanan  was  his  report 
from  the  Judiciary  Committee  of  an  amendment  to  our  natural- 
ization laws,  which,  by  his  exertion,  was  adopted 

By  the  time  Congress  had  again  assembled  General  Jackson 
had  been  elected  President  by  a  sweeping  majority,  and  Mr. 
Buchanan  found  himself,  upon  again  taking  his  seat,  in  accord 
with  the  coming  administration.  During  this  session  an 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  was  offered,  providing  that  no 
person  who  should  have  once  been  elected  President  of  the 
United  States  shall  be  again  [eligible  to  that  office.  Mr.  Buch- 
anan, in  opposing  this  amendment,  said  : 

"I  would  incline  to  leave  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  without  incor- 
porating it  in  the  Constitution,  to  decide  whether  a  President  should  serve 
mere  than  one  term.  The  day  may  come  when  dangers  may  lower  over  us, 
and  when  we  may  have  a  President  at  the  helm  of  state  who  possesses  the 
confidence  of  the  country  and  is  better  abl  j  to  weather  the  storm  than  any 
other  pilot.  Shall  we,  then,  undersuch  circumstances,  deprive  the  people  of 
the  United  States  of  the  power  of  obtaining  his  services  for  a  second  term  ? 
Shall  wo  pass  a  decree,  as  fixed  as  fate,  to  bind  the  American  people  and 
prevent  them  from  ever  re-electing  such  a  mau  ?  I  am  not  afraid  to  trust 
them  with  this  power." 

The  first  session  of  the  next  Congress  was  opened  under  the 
administration  of  President  Jackson  with  a  large  increase 
of  Democratic  members  in  Congress.  Mr.  Buchanan  was  made 
Chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee,  in  place  of  Mr.  Webster, 
who  had  been  elected  to  the  Senate.  At  this  session  a  very  im- 
portant matter  was  presented  to  the  consideration  of  the  com- 
mittee. It  was  the  impeachment  of  Judge  Peck,  judge  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Missouri.  This 
impeachment  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  at  the  first 
session  of  the  Twentieth  Congress  ;  the  trial  was  ready  to  take 
place  on  the  assembling  of  the  second  session,  and  the  Senate, 
in  the  capacity  of  a  high  court  of  impeachment,  was  ready  for 
the  case. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  one  of  five  managers  chosen  by  the  House 
to  conduct  the  prosecution.  The  following  are  the  facts  in  the 
case,  as  presented  in  the  articles  of  impeachment  and  evidence  : 
Judge  Peck  in  the  United  States  District  Court  of  Missouri  de- 
cided against  the  claims  of  the  widow  and  children  of  one 


253 


LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS, 


Antoine  Soulard  to  certain  land  within  the  State  of  Missouri 
and  the  then  Territory  of  Arkansas,  and  when  the  decision  of 
Judge  Peck  was  published,  L.  E.  Lawless,  of  St.  Louis  and  of 
the  counsel  for  prosecuting  the  claims  before  Judge  Peck,  wrote 
a  short  article  to  one  of  the  St.  Louis  newspapers,  specifying  the 
errors  into  which  the  judge  had  fallen  in  his  decision.  This 
Judge  Peck  considered  a  contempt  of  court,  and  Mr.  Lawless, 
being  summoned  before  the  court,  was  not  only  deprived  of  his 
right  to  practice  law,  but  was  also  committed  to  prison.  These 


THE   YVUJ.TJS   HOUSE. 

were  the  charges  made  by  Mr.  Lawless  in  his  complaint  to  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  upon  Investigation  the  Judiciary 
Committee  had  unanimously  reported  articles  of  impeachment 
against  Judge  Peck. 

At  the  trial,  which  began  on  the  13th  of  December,  1830, 
Judge  Peck  was  represented  by  Hon.  William  "Wirt  and  Hon. 
'Jonathan  Meredith  as  counsel  for  the  defense.  Both  of  these 
gentlemen  made  very  able  speeches  for  their  client.  Mr.  Buch- 
anan  was  the  last  of  the  counsel  for  the  prosecution  to  speak, 


JAMES  BUCHANAN 


25-6 


and  this  masterly  effort  of  his  has  gone  down  to  history  as  un- 
surpassed in  its  review  of  constitutional  and  judicial  law.  To 
anyone  reading  the  magnificent  peroration  of  Mr.  Buchanan, 
it  cannot  fail  of  being  a  matter  of  surprise  that  the  Senate  re- 
fused to  impeach  Judge  Peck.  The  vote  stood  for  his  impeach- 
ment twenty-one,  and  against  it  twenty-two,  but  the  Senate, 
in  apparent  apology  for  their  leniency,  soon  after  passed  an  act 
which  deterred  judges  in  the  future  from  so  attempting  to  trifle 
with  the  liberties  of  citizens  on  such  unjustifiable  pretexts. 


THE    EAST   ROOM. 

This  brings  us  to  the  close  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  Congressional 
career,  he  having  voluntarily  retired  at  the  close  of  the  session, 
after  ten  years'  uninterrupted  membership. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  appointed  by  President  Jackson,  as  Minis- 
ter to  Russia  soon  after  his  retirement  from  Congress,  at  which 
court  he  represented  the  United  States  with  great  dignity  and 
ability  until  1833,  when  he  returned  home,  and  almost  immedi- 
ately afterward  was  honored  by  a  seat  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  As  an  earnest  friend  of  President  Jackson,  Mr. 


264  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Buchanan  returned  at  an  opportune  moment  to  defend  him 
from  the  assaults  of  his  enemies.  Almost  his  first  services  in 
the  Senate  were  devoted  to  sustaining  President  Jackson's  de- 
mand upon  France  for  payment  of  the  indemnity  stipulated  by 
the  treaty  of  1831. 

In  the  important  debate  upon  "Executive  Patronage,"  Mr. 
Buchanan,  by  the  most  memorable  argument,  showed  that  not 
only  was  it  the  intention  of  the  framers  of  the  Constitution 
that  the  President  should  have  power  of  removal  from  office, 
but  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  call  an  adjourned  Senate 
from  the  remote  homes  of  the  members  every  tune  some  in- 
competent or  dishonest  official  at  home  or  abroad  required  im- 
mediate removal. 

Mr.  Buchanan  also  had  occasion  during  this  session  to  de- 
fend the  Texan  patriots  who  were  struggling  for  the  independ- 
ence of  the  "  Lone  Star  "  Republic,  from  the  charge  of  filibus- 
terism. 

About  this  time  the  great  fire  in  New  York  had  caused  so 
much  suffering  that  a  bill  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  was 
proposed,  and  Mr.  Buchanan,  in  his  natural  generosity  and 
humane  sympathy,  threw  his  entire  influence  in  favor  of  the 
bilL  The  relief  sought  for  was  only  to  grant  the  merchant 
sufferers  time  to  pay  their  indebtedness  to  the  United  States, 
amounting  to  about  $8,500,000. 

At  the  opening  of  the  second  session  of  the  Twenty-fourth 
Congress  Mr.  Buchanan  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Foreign  Relations.  During  this  session  Mr.  Benton,  of 
Missouri,  again  brought  forward  his  resolution  for  expunging 
from  the  Journal  of  the  Senate  the  vote  of  censure  which  had 
been  recorded  against  President  Jackson  for  his  removal  of  the 
deposits  from  the  United  States  Bank.  His  re-election  was  an 
indorsement  of  his  act  by  the  people,  and  Mr.  Benton  was  now 
reinforced  by  Mr.  Buchanan,  who  came  to  the  rescue  with  his 
masterly  eloquence.  Such  was  the  force  of  argument  brought 
to  bear  by  Mr.  Buchanan  that  after  the  delivery  of  his  speech 
the  resolution  was  passed  to  expunge  the  resolution  of  censure. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1837,  General  Jackson's  successor,  Mr. 
Van  Buren,  was  inaugurated  President.  His  administration 


began  at  a  period  of  great  financial  suffering,  and  an  extra 
session  of  Congress  was  called  to  take  some  measures  of  relief. 
At  this  session  great  excitement  was  aroused  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  bill  known  as  the  "  Sub-Treasury  Act."  This  bill 
was  passed  twice  by  the  Senate  and  as  often  defeated  by  the 
House.  In  favor  of  this  bill  Mr.  Buchanan  made  a  strong 
argument,  which  should  have  won  for  the  bill  a  better  fate. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  again  promptly  in  his  seat  at  the  opening 
of  the  first  regular  session  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Congress.  It  was 
during  this  session,  in  defending  our  relations  with  Mexico, 
that  he  uttered  that  immortal  sentiment:  "Millions  to  defend 
our  rights,  but  not  a  cent  for  tribute." 

In  this  session,  Mr.  Buchanan  stood  up  nobly  for  the  Western 
settlers  on  the  question  of  the  pre-emption  of  lands,  and  made 
one  of  his  happiest  efforts  in  behalf  of  wise  legislation  on  the 
subject. 

To  Mr.  Buchanan  the  greatest  praise  is  due  for  the  benefits 
derived  to  the  country  by  the  passage  of  the  Independent  Treas- 
ury bill,  which  he  so  ably  urged  upon  the  attention  of  the 
Senate. 

The  Maine  boundary  question  was  the  most  prominent  sub- 
ject engrossing  the  attention  of  the  second  session  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Congress  at  its  opening,  but  the  question  of  inter- 
ference of  Federal  officers  in  elections  was  the  one  upon  which 
Mr.  Buchanan  made  his  greatest  effort  of  the  session. 

In  the  Twenty-sixth  Congress  Mr.  Buchanan  distinguished 
himself,  as  usual,  by  his  many  able  speeches.  When  the  next 
session  of  this  Congress  opened,  the  political  whirlwind  had 
passed  and  General  Harrison  had  been  overwhelmingly  elected, 
and  after  a  somewhat  unimportant  session,  Congress  came  to  a 
close  on  the  day  General  Harrison  was  inaugurated  President. 
Before  Congress  met  at  the  extra  session  called  on  the  31st  day 
of  May,  President  Harrison  had  been  removed  by  death,  and 
John  Tyler  became  the  Executive. 

The  very  first  bill  introduced  at  the  extra  session  by  the  dom- 
inant party  was  a  bill  to  repeal  the  Independent  Treasury  Act  in 
the  effort  to  again  establish  a  national  bank  under  the  name  of 
a  "  Fiscal  Bank,"  as  proposed  by  Mr.  Clay.  Mr.  Buchanan  was 


256  LIVES    OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

selected  by  the  Democracy  to  defeat,  if  possible,  this  proposed 
legislation,  and  his  masterly  effort  against  the  Fiscal  Bank  bill 
was  made  on  the  7th  of  July,  1841,  in  a  speech  of  great  length. 
President  Tyler's  veto  of  both  the  Fiscal  Bank  bill  and  the  Fis- 
cal Corporation  bill  won  for  Mr.  Buchanan  the  victory  for  which 
he  made  so  gallant  an  effort. 

When  the  first  regular  session  of  the  Twenty -seventh  Con- 
gress met,  Mr.  Clay  was  burning  for  revenge  against  the  Pres- 
ident for  vetoing  his  pet  schemes,  and  he  began  his  work  by 
off ering  resolutions  to  restrict  the  veto  power.  Here,  again, 
he  found  Mr.  Buchanan  his  adversary,  ready  to  defend  the  wise 
constitutional  provision  of  the  veto  power.  After  Mr.  Clay  had 
urged  the  passage  of  his  resolutions,  he  was  followed  by  Mr. 
Buchanan  in  an  able  speech,  which  met  and  refuted  every  ar- 
gument brought  forward  against  the  veto  power,  and  that  the 
President  still  exercises  that  necessary  safeguard  is  evidence 
that  Mr.  Buchanan  triumphed. 

The  most  important  question  which  arose  for  consideration 
at  the  opening  of  the  Twenty-Eighth  Congress,  was  that  of  a 
territorial  government  for  Oregon,  and  the  admission  of  Texas 
into  the  Union,  both  of  which  Mr.  Buchanan  favored.  The 
annexation  of  Texas  was  not  ratified  at  that  session,  but  at  the 
next  meeting  of  Congress  it  again  came  up  to  be  voted  for  on 
a  joint  resolution  which  was  passed,  and  at  last  Texas  became 
a  State  in  the  Union.  Mr.  Buchanan  was  the  only  member  of 
the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations  who  favored  the  admis- 
sion, and  this  act,  together  with  his  vote  for  annexation,  was 
the  last  which  crowned  his  Senatorial  career. 

James  K.  Polk  having  been  elected  President  in  1844,  Mr. 
Buchanan  was  selected  by  him  for  his  Cabinet,  to  fill  the  im- 
portant position  of  Secretary  of  State.  In  this  position  the  first 
international  matter  engaging  Mr.  Buchanan's  attention  was 
that  of  the  settlement  of  our  Oregon  boundary.  Mr.  Buchanan 
believed  our  title  clear  to  the  line  of  54°  40',  but  during  the 
negotiations  under  the  former  administration  Mr.  Tyler  had 
proposed  a  settlement  on  the  line  of  49°  north  latitude,  and  Mr. 
Buchanan  was  placed  in  the  delicate  position  of  seeking  his 
own  line  for  the  settlement,  while  not  withdrawing  the  propo- 


JAMES  BUCHANAN.  257 

sition  made  by  the  late  Executive.  But  in  a  very  able  state 
paper  he  insisted  upon  England'8  acceptance  of  the  proposition 
of  Mr.  Tyler,  and  his  firmness  in  the  matter  resulted  in  En- 
gland's acceptance  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel  of  north  latitude, 
from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast,  as  the  boundary 
line. 

The  most  important  subject,  however,  for  Mr.  Buchanan's 
consideration  as  Secretary  of  Stale,  was  the  negotiations  con- 
nected with  the  Mexican  war,  which  negotiations  were  con- 
stantly kept  up,  and  at  last,  after  our  flag  waved  over  the  city 
of  Mexico,  they  terminated  in  peace.  In  his  letter  to  Hon. 
John  Slidell,  while  still  Minister  to  Mexico,  Mr.  Buchanan  firmly 
urged  upon  him  the  principles  of  the  Monroe  doctrine,  and 
especially  that  we  would  not  allow  European  sovereigns  to 
apply  the  worn-out  dogma  of  the  balance  of  power  to  the  free 
States  on  this  continent,  or  suffer  them  to  establish  new  colonies 
of  their  own  intermingled  with  our  free  republics. 

When  Mr.  Buchanan's  secretaryship  terminated,  our  wars  and 
rumors  of  wars  had  ceased,  and  our  international  affairs  were 
in  the  most  peaceful  and  prosperous  condition,  and  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  to  his  great  statesmanship  was  this  condition  of  our 
affairs  greatly  due,  and  it  is  probable  that  in  the  acquisition  of 
California,  with  all  her  grand  area  and  treasures  of  soil,  to  Mr, 
Buchanan  is  due  the  greatest  individual  credit. 

After  his  retirement  in  1849,  at  the  election  of  General  Tay- 
lor, Mr.  Buchanan  gladly  returned  to  the  sweet  rest  and  seclu- 
sion of  private  life  for  which  he  had  long  sighed.  It  is  probable 
that  his  honors  were  as  truly  thrust  upon  him  unsought  as  those 
of  any  statesman  in  the  country,  and  while  no  man  ever  labored 
more  earnestly  for  the  public  good  in  official  position,  he 
was  actuated  more  by  a  desire  to  serve  than  to  be  served,  and 
did  his  work  for  the  country,  not  for  himself. 

But  even  in  retirement  his  voice  served  mankind,  and  in 
every  word  and  line  he  sought  to  benefit  his  country.  The  ben- 
efit of  his  opinions  and  counsel  he  gave  in  frequent  letters  on 
public  topics. 

Upon  the  election  of  President  Pierce,  Mr.  Buchanan  was 
tgain  drawn  from  his  retirement  and  received  the  appointment 


258  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

of  Minister  to  England,  which  important  position  he  filled  with 
the  highest  honor  to  his  country  and  with  the  most  marked 
ability.  It  was  during  this  mission  that  Mr.  Buchanan  met 
Mr.  Mason  and  Mr.  Soule,  our  Ministers  to  France  and  Spain, 
at  Ostend,  in  reference  to  the  purchase  of  Cuba.  The  meeting, 
however,  resulted  in  no  definite  action. 

In  1856  Mr.  Buchanan  was  nominated  by  the  National  Dem- 
ocratic Convention  as  their  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  In 
this  canvass  the  political  conflict  was  a  very  hot  and  bitter 
one,  in  which,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  country, 
a  direct  sectional  issue  was  at  stake.  The  pro-slavery  interests 
were  to  a  man  with  Mr.  Buchanan,  and  the  anti-slavery  senti- 
ments of  the  country  were  with  Mr.  Fremont,  the  opposing 
candidate.  What  was  called  the  "  Irrepressible  Conflict"  was 
then  looming  up  like  a  great  shadow  in  the  land.  But  for  the 
time  being  Mr.  Buchanan's  party  triumphed,  and  he  was 
elected  President,  having  received  174  electoral  votes,  while 
Mr.  Fremont  received  114. 

Mr.  Buchanan's  administration,  which  should  have  been  the 
reward  of  his  long,  faithful  and  able  services  to  the  country, 
proved  to  him  a  source  of  the  greatest  anxiety  and  trouble. 
The  country  had  entered  upon  stormy  times,  and  the  conflict  on 
the  slavery  question  and  the  extension  of  the  institution  was 
growing  fiercer  day  by  day,  bitter  hatred  was  growing  deeeper, 
and  Mr.  Buchanan  began  soon  to  realize  that  his  friends  and 
party  expected  htm  to  join  hands  with  them  in  the  most  ex- 
treme measures.  As  far  as  he  could,  consistently,  he  gave  his 
support  to  the  interests  of  slavery,  and  took  sides  with  that  in- 
stitution in  the  Kansas  difficulties. 

This  was  the  condition  of  public  excitement  and  sectional 
animosity  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  nominated  as  a  candi^ 
date  for  the  Presidency  by  the  Republican  Convention  at  Chi- 
cago, on  the  16th  day  of  June,  1860.  Then  the  menace  of  war 
was  flung  to  the  breeze,  and  the  pro-slavery  party  declared 
that  if  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  they  would  secede  from  the 
Union.  In  anticipation  of  his  probable  election,  extensive 
preparations  began  to  be  made  to  carry  this  threat  into  execu- 
tion, and  the  day  it  was  known  that  he  was  elected,  the  move' 


JAMES  BUCHANAN.  259 

inent  actually  began,  and  preparations  for  war  were  com- 
menced in  the  South.  In  the  face  of  this  attitude  of  the  South, 
Mr.  Buchanan  remained  silent  and  lifted  no  warning  voice  and 
sounded  no  protest.  When  South  Carolina  seceded,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1860,  nearly  three  months  before  Mr.  Buchanan's  Presi- 
dential term  expired,  he  did  nothing  but  look  on  in  silent  ac- 
quiescence or  hopeless  despair.  One  after  another  our  forts  and 
navy  yards  and  arsenals  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  lead- 
ers of  the  secession  movement,  and  still  Mr.  Buchanan  sat  still, 
and  only  asserted  that  he  had  no  constitutional  power  to  pre- 
vent the  overt  acts  of  rebellion  which  were  being  committed. 

It  will  never  be  known  how  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
lives  and  millions  of  treasure  might  have  been  saved  had  Pres- 
ident Buchanan  but  possessed  firmness  and  true  patriotism 
enough  to  have  made  every  effort  in  his  power  to  hold  our 
forts  and  ships  and  arsenals,  and  to  have  delayed  the  move- 
ments of  the  men  who  were  bent  upon  breaking  up  the  Union. 
It  is  not  probable  that  anything  he  could  have  done  would 
have  prevented  the  war;  that  was  inevitable,  but  he  could 
have  prevented  the  secessionists  from  securing  the  war  ma- 
terial of  the  Government . 

It  cannot  be  claimed  that  President  Buchanan  had  had  no 
plans  of  vigorous  action  presented  to  him,  for  General  Scott 
had  urged  upon  him  the  necessity  of  strengthening  and  rein*- 
forcing  our  forts  and  arsenals,  and  sending  our  war  vessels  to 
the  harbors  of  the  disaffected  States.  To  all  these  plans  Mr, 
Buchanan  refused  his  consent,  and  while  helpless  imbecility 
marked  his  policy,  the  seceded  States  were  actively  forming 
their  government,  and  fortifying  positions,  and  strengthening 
the  forts  they  had  taken  from  the  Government,  and  were  ready 
for  the  conflict,  and  apparently  waiting  only  through  consider- 
ation for  Mr.  Buchanan. 

The  eventful  4th  of  March,  1861,  at  last  came,  and  with  Mr. 
Lincoln's  inauguration  the  long  desired  retirement  of  Mr.  Buch- 
anan took  place,  and  in  his  home  at  Wheatland  he  remained 
in  silence  and,  probably,  remorse,  while  the  clash  of  armies, 
and  thunder  of  war  resounded  throughout  our  land,  until  hfo 
death  took  place,  in  1868. 


ABRAHAM     LINCOLN. 


Since  General  Washington  occupied  the  chief  executive  chair 
of  the  nation  there  has  been  no  President  who  has  occupied  so 
prominent  a  position  before  the  country  or  the  world,  or  who 
has  been  a  subject  of  such  universal  interest,  as  Mr.  Lincoln. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  on  the 
12th  of  February,  1809,  in  Hardin  County,  in  that  portion  which 
was  afterward  formed  into  Larue  County.  Both  his  father  and 
his  grandfather  were  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Virginia. 
His  father's  name  was  Thomas  and  his  grandfather's  Abraham. 

His  grandfather  Abraham  moved  to  Kentucky  with  his 
family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  five  children,  three  sons  and 
two  daughters,  and  settled  in  the  wilderness.  Very  little  is 
known  of  his  pioneer  life  in  his  new  home,  beyond  the  fact 
that  while  at  work  one  day  in  the  field  he  was  shot  and  killed 
by  an  Indian  who  had  stealthily  approached  through  the 
forest.  This  act  of  inhuman  savagery  left  a  widow  and  five 
helpless  little  children  to  struggle  for  subsistence. 

The  names  of  the  sons  were  Mordecai,  Josiah  and  Thomas, 
and  the  names  of  the  daughters  were  Mary  and  Nancy.  Both  of 
these  daughters  married  and  settled  down  in  Kentucky,  Mary 
having  become  the  life  partner  of  Ralph  Grume,  while  Nancy 
became  Mrs.  William  Brumfield.  Thomas,  by  the  untimely  death 
of  his  father,  was  left  to  grow  up  without  education  as  a  com- 
mon farm  hand.  This  son  was  the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
At  full  manhood  he  married  Nancy  Hanks,  who  was  the  mother 
of  Abraham.  There  was  also  by  this  union  a  sister  older  and  a 
brother  younger  than  Abraham.  The  sister  grew  up  and  mar- 
ried, but  the  brother  died  in  infancy. 

Thomas  Lincoln  began  his  married  life  in  the  poor  and  rude 
log  cabin  in  which  Abraham  was  born,  and  where  the  family 


262  LlVKs    OF   Ol-R   PRESIDENTS. 

remained  in  poverty  and  deprivation  for  about  ten  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  Abraham  received  a  few  months  of  primary 
education  in  the  old-fashioned  log  school-house  of  that  day. 
When  Abraham  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  his  father 
resolved  to  remove  from  Kentucky,  on  account  of  his  dislike  of 
slavery  and  the  uncertain  tenor  of  land  titles  in  the  State.  It 
may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  state  that  he  sold  his  little  farm 


THE  EARLY  HOME  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

for  ten  barrels  of  whisky  and  twenty  dollars  in  cash.  This 
stock  of  liquor,  together  with  his  household  furniture,  he 
loaded  on  a  little  flat-boat  which  he  had  built  and  launched, 
and  floating  out  of  the  creek  dignified  by  the  name  of  Rolling 
Fork,  he  started  down  the  river,  destined  for  Indiana.  It  is 
probable  this  whisky  would  have  bought  all  the  land  he 
wanted  had  he  not  met  with  the  loss  of  nearly  all  of  it  by  the 
overturning  of  his  boat.  This  left  him  poorer  than  ever ;  but 
settling  in.  Hypncer  County,  Indiana,  on  a  piece  of  unbroken 


ABKAHAM  LINCOLN.  263 

forest  laud  which  he  purchased,  he  and  the  boy  Abraham 
began  the  great  labor  of  clearing  the  land,  and  from  that  day 
until  he  was  over  twenty-one  years  old,  Abraham  almost  daily 
swung  the  ax,  until  he  became  more  expert  in  its  use  than  any 
man  who  ever  filled  the  executive  chair  of  the  United  States. 
Scarcely  had  little  Abe  begun  to  chop  wood  in  his  new  home, 
before  he  poked  his  father's  rifle  through  a  crack  of  the  log 
cabin  one  day,  and  shot  a  wild  turkey  out  of  a  flock  which  had 
invaded  the  yard. 

When  Abraham  was  about  ten  years  of  age,  the  family  sus- 
tained a  great  loss  in  the  death  of  his  mother,  a  sweet,  delicate, 
Christian  woman,  who  in  her  best  health  was  too  frail  for  the 
rough,  hard  life  of  the  pioneer  ;  and  when  the  little  motherless 
boy  sat  by  the  grave,  with  great  tears  rolling  from  his  face,  he 
realized  that  the  angel  of  his  early  life  was  gone  from  him  for- 
ever in  this  world. 

During  their  residence  in  Kentucky  there  was  an  itinerant 
Baptist  preacher  named  Elkins,  who  had  occasionally  preached 
in  their  neighborhood,  and  had  shared  the  rude  hospitalities 
of  the  Lincoln  cabin.  To  this  servant  of  the  Lord  the 
thoughts  of  the  family  naturally  turned  in  their  bereavement, 
and  Abraham  wrote  a  letter  asking  him  to  come  at  his  first 
opportunity  and  preach  a  funeral  sermon  in  memory  of  his 
mother.  Parson  Elkins  kindly  appointed  a  day  upon  which  he 
would  come  and  preach  the  sermon,  and  notice  of  the  occasion 
and  day  was  sent  from  house  to  house.  True  to  his  word,  on 
the  appointed  day  Parson  Elkins  arrived  after  a  journey  on 
horseback  through  the  wilderness  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles. 
At  the  Lincoln  cabin  he  found  two  hundred  persons  assembled, 
and,  uncouth  backwoods  preacher  as  he  was,  he  delivered  a 
most  tender,  touching  and  eloquent  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
the  noble  Christian  woman  whose  life  had  gone  out  among  the 
scenes  of  pioneer  hardship,  and  passed  away  to  that  sweet  rest 
beyond  world  and  planet  and  star. 

During  these  early  years  of  Abraham  he  was  securing  an 
occasional  month  or  so  of  schooling,  to  which  he  added  by  read- 
ing such  few  books  as  could  be  secured  in  that  frontier  locality. 
Among  these  books  were  the  Bible,  ^3Lsop's  Fables,  Bunyan's 


264  LIVES   OF  OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

Pilgrim's  Progress,  the  Life  of  Washington,  and  similar  books. 
Among  his  teachers  were  Andrew  Crawford,  Azel  W.  Dorsey, 
and  a  Mr.  Sweeny. 

In  the  year  1819  Abraham's  father  married  Mrs.  Sally  Johns- 
ton, at  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky,  and  with  her  three  children 
she  went  with  him  to  his  Indiana  home,  where  she  became  a 
devoted  step-mother  to  Abraham  and  his  sister. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  young  Lincoln  is  said  to  have  built  a 
little  flat-boat,  on  which  he  made  his  first  trip  down  the  river 
with  the  produce  of  his  father's  farm  ;  but  of  this  voyage  there 
is  no  authentic  account,  beyond  that  of  an  incident  related  by 
Mr.  Lincoln  himself  in  after  years.  While  upon  his  boat  at  one 
of  the  landings  one  day,  two  men  came  hastily  to  the  river  de- 
siring to  be  rowed  out  to  a  passing  steamer,  and,  select- 
ing Abraham  from  ameng  the  other  boatmen  for  the 
service,  they  each  gave  him  a  half  dollar  when  he  had  safely 
got  them  on  board  the  boat.  The  poor  boy  had  never  made 
money  so  fast  in  his  life,  and  this  event  he  cherished  in  his  mind 
for  many  after  years. 

A  year  later  he  was  employed  by  a  neighbor  to  run  a  flat- 
boat  to  New  Orleans,  in  company  with  another  hand.  This 
boat  was  what  was  termed  on  the  Western  rivers  a  trading 
boat,  which  had  miscellaneous  merchandise  on  board  for  the 
purpose  of  bartering  with  farmers  and  planters  along  the  shore. 
This  class  of  boats,  by  the  time  they  reached  New  Orleans,  had 
generally  entirely  exchanged  their  merchandise  for  farm 
produce,  which  readily  sold  for  cash  at  the  great  city  of  the 
South.  At  this  time  Mr.  Lincoln  had  grown  to  the  extraor- 
dinary height  of  six  feet  four  inches,  and  his  great  strength 
served  him  a  good  purpose  on  one  occasion.  Seven  negroes 
made  an  attack  upon  the  boat  one  night  for  the  purpose  of 
killing  and  robbing  the  two  men  in  charge,  but  Abraham  with 
his  companion  drove  them  off,  and  to  prevent  a  renewed  attack 
dropped  their  boat  further  down  the  stream. 

When  Abraham  had  reached  his  twenty-first  birthday  the 
family  resolved  to  move  from  Indiana  in  search  of  a  better 
location,  and  the  entire  family,  including  also  the  families  of 
the  two  daughters,  set  out  on  the  1st  of  March,  1830,  for 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  265 

Illinois.  Here  they  settled  in  Macon  County,  on  the  Sangamon 
River,  and  during  the  first  season  built  a  cabin,  cleared  land 
and  raised  a  crop  of  corn. 

After  helping  his  father  thus  far  in  hii,  new  home,  young 
Lincoln  decided  to  bid  adieu  to  the  parental  roof  and  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  outside  world.  For  some  months  he  hired  as 
a  farm  hand,  and  when  winter  arrived  he  and  his  step- 
brother and  John  Hanks  hired  themselves  to  a  man  named 
Offutt,  to  take  a  flat-boat  from  Beardsfcown,  Illinois,  to  New 
Orleans,  as  soon  as  the  melting  snow  in  the  spring  should  raise 
the  stream.  Lincoln  and  the  other  hands  were  to  join  Offutt 
at  Springfield,  to  which  place  they  were  compelled  to  go  in  a 
canoe  down  the  Sangamon  River.  At  Springfield  they  found 
Offutt,  but  he  had  failed  in  getting  a  boat,  and  made  a  bargain 
with  them  at  $12  per  month  each  to  hew  out  timber  and  build 
a  boat.  The  boat  finally  being  completed,  was  launched  on  the 
Sangamon  River,  and  Lincoln,  with  several  others,  went  with  the 
boat  to  New  Orleans.  On  this  trip  the  acquaintance  between 
Offutt  and  Lincoln  grew  into  a  friendship,  which  resulted  in 
young  Lincoln  being  hired  to  clerk  for  Offutt  in  a  store  and 
mill  in  New  Salem,  in  Sangamon  County.  Here  Lincoln  not 
only  became  a  great  favorite  with  the  customers  of  the  store 
and  mill,  but  by  his  uprightness  of  character  and  conscientious- 
ness acquired  the  sobriquet  of  "Honest  Abe,"  which  clung  to 
him  through  life.  On  several  occasions  he  walked  miles  to 
rectify  some  mistake  in  his  favor.  An  insolent  fellow  came  into 
the  store  one  day,  and  began  to  talk  insultingly  in  the  presence 
of  ladies.  Lincoln  reminded  him  of  the  presence  of  the  ladies, 
but  this  only  made  the  ruffian  more  abusive.  When  the  ladies 
left  the  fellow  told  Lincoln  he  had  come  there  to  thrash  him. 
but  the  way  Abe  Lincoln  slung  him  around  that  store  soon  set- 
tled the  question  of  who  was  thrashed.  Lincoln  concluded  by 
rubbing  smart  weed  in  his  eyes  until  the  fellow  bellowed  like 
a  calf.  Then  Lincoln  washed  his  face  for  him  and  talked  kindly 
to  him,  and  won  his  future  friendship. 

Lincoln  had  served  as  clerk  in  the  store  but  one  year  when 
Off  utt's  speculations  in  other  parts  of  the  county  resulted  in  his 
failure  and  the  closing  of  the  New  Salem  establishment. 


266  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

About  this  time  the  Black  Hawk  War  broke  out,  in  1832,  and 
young  Lincoln,  in  great  enthusiasm,  joined  a  volunteer  com- 
pany, in  which  he  was  elected  captain.  In  this  campaign  he 
served  three  months,  and  in  regular  camp  and  on  the  march 
passed  through  the  hardships  of  an  ordinary  soldier. 

On  his  return  from  this  short  campaign  he  was  induced  by 
his  neighbors  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  but  for 
the  only  time  in  his  life  he  was  defeated. 

This  left  him  without  occupation,  and  while  looking  about 
him  for  something  to  do,  he  was  called  upon  to  invoice  a  stock 
of  goods  which  his  friend,  Mr.  W.  G.  Greene,  had  just  bought 
on  a  speculation.  Lincoln  then  conceived  the  jdea  of  buying 
out  the  stock  in  connection  with  a  man  named  Berry.  The 
bargain  was  made,  and  Lincoln  and  Berry  gave  their  notes  for 
the  stock,  but  by  the  bad  management  of  Berry  they  only  got 
deeper  in  debt,  and  to  use  Mr.  Lincoln's  expression,  "  the  store 
winked  out,"  and  six  years  afterward  "  Honest  Abe"  paid  Mr. 
Greene,  who  had  moved  to  Tennessee,  the  last  cent  due  on  the 
notes  of  Lincoln  and  Berry. 

Soon  after  the  failure  of  the  store  President  Jackson  appointed 
Mr.  Lincoln  postmaster  of  New  Salem.  This  position  pleased 
Mr.  Lincoln,  for  it  enabled  him  to  read  a  great  many  news- 
papers. Several  years  after  he  had  ceased  to  be  postmaster, 
and  when  he  was  practicing  law,  an  agent  of  the  Post-Office 
Department  called  to  collect  a  balance  which  for  all  those  years 
had  been  due.  Mr.  Lincoln  immediately  went  to  a  trunk  and 
pulled  out  a  package  containing  the  identical  money,  some 
seventeen  dollars,  which  was  on  hand  when  he  gave  up  the 
office,  or  rather  when  it  was  discontinued. 

His  next  occupation  was  that  of  deputy  surveyor  of  San- 
gamon  County,  having  been  employed  for  this  work  by  the 
county  surveyor,  who  gave  Mr.  Lincoln  a  certain  part  of  the 
county  to  survey.  Of  course  Lincoln  knew  nothing  of  survey- 
ing, but,  as  he  had  done  in  other  emergencies,  he  gained  the 
desired  knowledge  by  quickly  studying  some  standard  books 
on  the  subject. 

In  1834  Mr.  Lincoln  again  became  a  candidate  for  the  Legis- 
laturev  and  this  time  was  elected  by  a  very  large  majority.  In 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  26? 

the  canvass  he  frequently  met  Major  John  T.  Stuart,  whose 
acquaintance  he  had  made  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  this 
gentleman,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  young  Lincoln,  advised 
him  to  study  law,  and  realizing  the  poverty  of  the  young  legis- 
lator, offered  to  loan  him  all  the  law  books  he  needed.  This 
offer  Lincoln  accepted  after  his  election,  and  going  to  Spring- 
field, he  returned  with  a  load  of  books  to  New  Salem  and  began 
his  studies.  This  he  kept  up  until  he  was  out  of  money  ;  then 
he  began  surveying  to  make  more,  and  so  he  alternately  worked 
and  pursued  his  studies. 

At  that  time  the  seat  of  government  in  Illinois  was  at  Van- 
dalia,  and  to  take  his  seat  at  the  opening  of  the  Legislature  Mr. 
Lincoln  walked  a  hundred  miles.  Here  his  native  good  sense 
served  him  a  valuable  purpose.  Being  in  an  entirely  new  and 
novel  position,  he  remained  quiet  and  learned  all  he  could. 

In  1836  he  was  again  elected  to  the  Legislature.  In  this 
canvass  he  made  the  memorable  speech  which  secured  his  repu- 
tation as  one  of  the  ablest  orators  in  the  State. 

In  this  session  of  the  Legislature  Mr.  Lincoln  met  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  it  was  here  that  those  two  young  men  took  those 
political  positions  which  gave  their  results  in  after  years.  One 
of  the  most  noted  acts  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  early  life  was  his  pro- 
test, entered  on  the  Illinois  House  Journal,  in  connection  with 
Dan  Stone,  in  reference  to  some  liberal  resolutions  on  the  sub- 
feet  of  slavery  in  the  United  States.  This  protest  asserted  their 
belief  that  while  Congress  had  no  power  under  the  Constitution 
to  interfere  with  the  institution  of  slavery  in  the  different 
States,  they  believed  the  institution  was  founded  on  both 
injustice  and  bad  policy.  This  protest  placed  his  principles  on 
the  slavery  question  on  record,  and  in  his  after  life  he  never 
changed  or  receded  from  the  position,  save  in  the  exigencies  of 
war  to  interfere  with  the  institution  by  his  emancipation  proc- 
lamation. 

After  the  session  adjourned  Mr.  Lincoln  again  walked  the 
long,  weary  hundred  miles  from  the  State  capital  home.  For  a 
considerable  distance  he  kept  up  with  a  number  of  his  more 
fortunate  brother  legislators,  who  were  on  horseback,  and  when 
upon  our  occasion  Mi1.  Lincoln  complained  of  l>eing  cold,  which 


268  LIVES  OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

was  not  to  be  wondered  at  from  his  thin  clothing,  one  of  the 
company  remarked  that  it  was  no  wonder  he  was  cold,  "there 
was  so  much  of  him  on  the  ground." 

In  1836  Mr.  Lincoln  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  after  a 
year's  practice  he  removed  to  Springfield,  to  which  place, 
through  his  influence,  with  others,  the  capital  had  been  trans- 
ferred. It  is  not  probable,  however,  that  this  alone  would  have 
induced  him  to  have  given  up  his  many  true  friends  and  help- 
ers at  New  Salem,  had  it  not  been  that  his  old  friend,  Major 
Stuart,  had  offered  him  a  partnership  in  the  practice  of  law. 
This  partnership  evidently  did  not  continue  long,  for  Mr.  Lin- 
coln was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1838  and  1840,  while 
Major  Stuart  was  elected  to  Congress. 

On  the  assembling  of  the  Legislature  Mr.  Lincoln  was  brought 
forward  by  the  Whigs  as  their  candidate  for  Speaker,  but  the 
Democrats  were  in  the  majority,  and  finally  elected  their  can- 
didate by  a  majority  of  only  one  vote. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  reputation  for  relating  anecdotes  began  to 
attract  attention  about  this  time,  in  his  ready  application  of  a 
comical  story  to  subjects  or  persons  under  discussion.  It  is 
evident  to  those  familiar  with  the  Western  custom  of  lawyers, 
to  ride  the  circuit  with  the  judge  in  attending  the  different 
courts  in  a  district,  that  Mr.  Lincoln  acquired  this  facility  for 
story-telling  at  the  country  taverns  where  the  lawyers  and 
citizens  of  each  county-seat  gathered  on  these  circuits. 

In  1840,  Mr.  Lincoln  formed  a  new  law  partnership  with  Judge 
Logan,  of  Springfield,  and  soon  after,  voluntarily  retiring  from 
the  Legislature,  he  decided  to  devote  himself  more  assiduously 
than  ever  to  his  profession,  but  the  exciting  political  campaign 
of  1840  created  such  a  demand  for  his  services  as  a  stump 
speaker  that  he  was  again  compelled  to  neglect  the  law. 

In  1842,  an  important  event  transpired  in  his  life,  which  was 
that  of  his  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Todd,  a  daughter  of  Hon. 
Robert  G.  Todd,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  for  a  time  the 
newly  married  pair  boarded  at  the  Globe  Hotel,  in  Springfield, 
at  a  cost  of  four  dollars  per  week,  which  sum,  small  as  it  may 
now  appear,  was  often  quite  a  formidable  amount  for  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  pay. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  269 

In  1846,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Central 
District  of  Illinois,  and  took  his  seat  at  the  opening  of  the  ses- 
sion, in  December,  1847,  as  the  only  Whig  member  from  Illi- 
nois. Here  he  found  one  of  the  ablest  legislative  bodies  ever 
assembled  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  and  the  session  of  that  year 
was  one  of  great  excitement,  owing  to  the  war  with  Mexico  and 
other  important  questions  then  being  agitated. 

One  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  first  votes  was  given  in  favor  of  a  resolu- 
tion asserting  the  right  of  Congress  to  improve  rivers  and 
harbors,  when  necessary  for  the  movements,  convenience  and 
safety  of  our  Army  and  Navy.  This  resolution  was  tabled  in 
opposition  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  vote. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Giddings  presented  a  memorial  from  cer- 
tain citizens  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  asking  Congress  to 
repeal  all  laws  upholding  the  slave  trade  in  the  District.  Mr. 
Lincoln  voted  against  a  motion  to  lay  this  paper  on  the  table. 

Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  same  day  offered  a  long  and  able  preamble 
and  resolution  in  reference  to  the  Mexican  War,  in  the  nature  of 
an  inquiry  into  the  acts  upon  both  sides.  Mr.  Lincoln,  like 
most  of  the  Whigs,  believed  that  the  cause  of  the  war  had  been 
our  own  military  occupation  of  Mexican  territory  beyond  the 
borders  of  Texas.  These  resolutions,  although  acknowledged 
to  be  both  able  and  appropriate,  were  laid  over.  Mr.  Lincoln 
did  not  believe  that  the  war  was  begun  by  the  act  of  Mexico, 
and  he  objected  to  any  false  statements  as  to  the  origin  of  the 
difficulty. 

On  the  ;.8th  of  December  a  petition  was  received  from  citi- 
zens of  Indiana,  asking  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  and,  as  usual  with  such  documents,  the 
motion  was  at  once  made  to  lay  it  on  the  table  and  carried,  Mr. 
Lincoln  voting  against  the  motion.  On  the  30th  of  December 
and  17th  of  January  other  memorials  and  resolutions  in  refer- 
ence to  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia  were  brought  up, 
and  in  each  instance  Mr.  Lincoln  voted  against  tabling  them. 

On  the  17th  of  February  Mr.  Lincoln  voted  for  the  bill  for 
supplies  of  men  and  money  for  the  Mexican  War. 

On  the  19th  of  June  Mr.  Lincoln  took  a  conspicuous  position 
in  favor  of  a  protective  tariff.  Upon  the  same  day  Mr.  Stewart, 


270  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

of  Pennsylvania,  offered  the  following  resolution,  for  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  voted  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  be  instructed  to 
inquire  into  the  expediency  of  reporting  a  bill  increasing  the  duties  on 
foreign  luxuries  of  all  kinds,  and  on  such  foreign  manufactures  as  are  now 
coming  into  ruinous  competition  with  American  labor." 

On  the  28th  of  July  commenced  the  famous  speeches  of  Mr. 
Webster  and  Mr.  Corwin,  on  the  bill  to  establish  territorial 
governments  for  Oregon,  California  and  New  Mexico.  In  this 
bill  was  a  provision  prohibiting  the  territorial  legislatures  of 
California  and  New  Mexico  from  passing  laws  in  favor  of  or 
against  slavery,  but  also  providing  that  all  the  laws  of  the  terri- 
torial legislatures  shall  be  subject  to  the  sanction  of  Congress. 
Mr.  Lincoln,  although  not  speaking  upon  the  bill,  took  sides 
with  Webster  and  Corwin,  and  voted  to  lay  the  territorial  bills 
upon  the  table  when  they  came  up  for  consideration. 

On  the  21st  of  December  Mr.  Gott  offered  a  resolution  in  the 
House,  asking  that  the  Committee  for  the  District  of  Columbia 
be  instructed  to  report  a  bill  as  soon  as  practicable,  prohibiting 
the  slave  trade  in  said  District.  This  resolution  was  so  strong 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  voted  to  lay  it  on  the  table,  and  when,  on  the 
16th  of  January,  it  was  again  before  the  House,  on  a  motion  to 
reconsider,  Mr.  Lincoln  offered  as  a  substitute  a  resolution  that 
the  Committee  for  the  District  of  Columbia  be  instructed  to 
report  a  bill  to  the  effect  that  no  person  at  that  time  in  the  Dis- 
trict and  no  person  thereafter  born  within  the  District  should 
be  held  to  slavery  within  or  without  the  District :  provided, 
however,  that  those  holding  slaves  in  the  slave  States  might 
bring  them  in  and  take  them  out  again  when  visiting  the  Dis- 
trict on  public  business.  The  bill  also  contained  a  provision  for 
the  emancipation  of  any  slaves  legally  held  in  the  District  at 
the  will  of  the  owners,  who  could  claim  their  full  value  at  the 
hands  of  the  Government. 

Thus  were  the  sentiments  of  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  slavery  ques- 
tion set  forth  during  that  session.  He  believed  in  its  legal  right 
under  the  Constitution,  but  always  asserted  that  it  was  morally 
wrong,  and  he  always  voted  against  its  extension.  After  hav- 
ing opposed  the  Mexican  War,  he  also  voted  against  the  annex- 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  271 

ation  of  Texas,  and  gave  his  entire  support  to  the  Wilmot  pro- 
viso. 

At  the  end  of  the  session  of  1849  he  retired  from  Congress,  and 
returned  home  to  resume  his  practice  of  law  in  Springfield,  and 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  domestic  life  with  his  young  and  in- 
creasing family.  Here  he  found  it  necessary  to  build  up  anew 
his  law  practice,  which  had  slipped  away  from  him  during  his 
political  occupation,  and  until  1854  he  so  closely  applied  himself 
to  business  at  home  that  he  almost  felt  himself  cut  loose  from 
politics,  until  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  aroused 
him  to  a  new  interest  in  the  public  welfare.  At  this  time  Mr. 
Lincoln,  with  prophetic  vision,  could  see  that  an  irrepressible 
conflict  on  the  question  of  slavery  was  arising  in  the  land.  He 
saw  that  by  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  in  revenge 
for  the  admission  of  California  as  a  free  State,  the  pro-slavery 
men  intended  to  secure  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  if  possible,  as 
slave  States. 

This  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  had  been  fathered  by  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  in  accordance  with  his  popular  sovereignty  views. 
From  this  action  of  Judge  Douglas  arose  the  great  contest  be- 
tween him  and  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  Illinois  campaign  of  1854. 
Mr.  Douglas,  on  his  return  home,  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  an  enraged  constituency,  who  were  at  first  not  even  in- 
clined to  allow  him  any  opportunity  for  explanation  or  defense 
of  his  action,  but  it  being  understood  that  Mr.  Lincoln  intended 
to  handle  him  without  gloves,  they  came  to  Springfield  in 
immense  crowds  during  the  holding  of  the  State  fair,  and  on 
the  4th  of  October  the  great  debate  came  off.  This  was  but  the 
beginning  of  the  campaign  between  these  two  intellectual  giants, 
but  Mr.  Lincoln  so  scathed  Judge  Douglas  that  the  latter  kept 
out  of  his  way  for  the  remainder  of  the  campaign.  But  Mr. 
Lincoln  continued  through  the  canvass  with  unabated  zeal, 
and  to  him  more  than  to  any  other  man  is  due  the  great  victory 
which  gave  the  State  to  the  Republicans  that  fall. 

The  summer  of  1858  in  Illinois  is  memorable  for  the  Senato- 
rial contest  between  Mr.  Douglas  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  the .  latter 
having  been  re-elected  by  the  Republican  State  Convention  in 
June,  1858,  as  their  candidate  for  United  States  Senator. 


272  LIVES   OF    OUIi  PRESIDENTS. 

There  was  considerable  correspondence  between  Mr.  Douglas 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  in  reference  to  a  proposition  and  its  acceptance 
for  joint  discussion.  In  these  debates  Mr.  Lincoln  made-  a 
magnificent  record  for  himself  of  great  ability  as  a  speaker. 
In  the  language  of  an  Illinois  journal,  when  he  entered  deeply 
into  his  subject  "  there  was  a  grandeur  in  his  thoughts,  a  com- 
prehensiveness in  his  arguments  and  a  binding  force  in  his  con- 
clusions, which  were  perfectly  irresistible.  The  vast  throng 
were  silent  as  death  ;  every  eye  was  fixed  upon  the  speaker,  and 
all  gave  him  serious  attention.  He  was  the  tall  man  eloquent ; 
his  countenance  glowed  with  animation,  and  his  eye  glistened 
with  an  intelligence  that  made  it  lustrous.  He  was  no  longer 
awkward  and  ungainly,  but  graceful,  bold,  commanding." 

In  one  of  his  speeches  he  delivered  the  following  memorable 
argument : 

"  My  distinguished  friend  says  it  is  an  insult  to  the  emigrants  to  Kansas 
and  Nebraska  to  suppose  they  are  not  able  to  govern  themselves.  We  must 
not  slur  over  an  argument  of  this  kind  because  it  happens  to  tickle  the  ear. 
It  must  be  met  and  answered.  I  admit  that  the  emigrant  to  Kansas  and 
Nebraska  is  competent  to  govern  himself,  but  I  deny  his  right  to  govern  any 
other  per  son  without  thai  person's  consent." 

In  this  contest  Mr.  Lincoln  received  a  majority  on  the  popu- 
lar vote  over  Mr.  Douglas  of  four  thousand  and  eighty-five,  but 
the  apportionment  of  the  Legislative  districts  gave  a  majority  of 
Democrats  both  in  the  State  Senate  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives, and  on  the  ballot  in  the  Legislature  Mr.  Douglas  was  re- 
elected  to  his  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate.  But  if  Mr. 
Lincoln  lost  the  Senatorship,  he  destroyed  Mr.  Douglas'  chances 
of  becoming  the  Southern  candidate  for  the  Presidency  ;  and 
looking  further,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  campaign  and  Mr. 
Lincoln's  speeches  secured  for  him  the  Presidency  in  1860.  The 
principles  of  the  Republican  party  were  so  clearly  laid  down  in 
Mr.  Lincoln's  speeches  as  published,  in  contrast  to  the  Demo- 
cratic principles  enunciated  by  Mr.  Douglas,  that  they  were 
universally  used  as  campaign  documents  in  the  Presidential 
contest  which  so  soon  followed. 

This  campaign  gave  Mr.  Lincoln  a  national  reputation,  besides 
making  him  the  most  popular  man  in  Illinois.  He  was  present 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  273 

at  the  Illinois  State  Republican  Convention  at  Decatur,  on  the 
10th  of  May,  1859,  as  a  visitor,  and  had  a  compliment  paid  to 
him  which  raised  the  enthusiasm  of  the  audience  to  the  highest 
pitch.  Soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  arrival,  Governor  Oglesby  arose 
and  announced  that  an  old  citizen  of  Macon  County  desired  to 
make  a  contribution  to  the  convention.  This  announcement 
was  followed  by  the  arrival  of  two  fence  rails,  decorated  with 
flags  and  wreaths  and  bearing  this  inscription  : 

"  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  the  rail  candidate  for  the  Presidency  in  1860.  Two 
rails  from  a  lot  of  3,000  made  in  1830  by  Thomas  Hanks  and  Abe  Lincoln, 
whose  father  was  the  first  pioneer  of  Macon  County." 

Thus  while  Mr.  Lincoln's  popularity  was  increasing  at  home, 
it  soon  became  evident  to  him  that  the  people  of  other  localities 
were  anxious  to  see  him  and  hear  him  speak.  The  people  of 
Kansas  looked  to  him  as  their  deliverer,  by  reason  of  the  grand 
exposure  he  gave  of  the  plot  to  force  slavery  upon  the  Terri- 
tory, and  when  he  visited  that  State  he  was  received  with  the 
wildest  enthusiasm. 

On  his  return  from  Kansas  he  passed  through  Ohio  and 
made  speeches  at  Columbus  and  Cincinnati.  At  both  these 
cities  Mr.  Douglas  had  been  before  him,  enunciating  his  Demo- 
cratic doctrines,  entwined  with  squatter  sovereignty  and  other 
pro-slavery  principles,  and  in  replying,  as  it  were,  to  these 
speeches,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  fighting  over  his  old  battles  with  the 
"Little  Giant." 

Scarcely  had  Mr.  Lincoln  delivered  his  two  Ohio  speeches 
before  he  was  invited  to  visit  New  York  and  address  the  citi- 
zens. Upon  the  occasion  Cooper  Institute  was  crowded  to 
overflowing,  and  among  the  audience  were  the  most  distin- 
guished men  of  the  city.  Mr.  Lincoln's  speech  had  been  spe- 
cially and  carefully  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  was  one  of 
the  ablest  he  had  ever  delivered,  and  his  audience  gave  their 
heartiest  approval  of  his  masterly  effort. 

His  fame  had  now  gone  before  him  everywhere,  and  he 
received  pressing  invitations  from  numerous  localities  to 
address  the  people.  In  his  visit  to  Connecticut  he  spoke  in  the 
principal  cities,  and  it  is  probable  that  his  influence  carried  the 
State  by  a  Republican  majority  that  year. 


274  LIVES    OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Of  one  of  his  speeches,  delivered  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Gulliver  said,  in  conversation  with  Mr.  Lincoln  :  "I 
learned  more  of  the  art  of  public  speaking  last  evening  than  I 
could  from  a  whole  course  of  lectures  on  rhetoric," 

This  trip  East  had  proven  to  Mr.  Lincoln  that  there  was 
something  in  his  speeches  and  the  manner  of  his  delivery  that 
took  a  firm  hold  upon  his  hearers,  and  his  confidence  in  him- 
self was  raised  in  place  of  a  natural  distrust  of  his  abili- 
ties, which  had  always  previously  clung  to  him.  He  learned 
that  the  judgment  of  Western  audiences  is  as  correct  in  its 


ME.  LINCOLN'S  RESIDENCE  AT  SPRINGFIELD. 

estimate  of  public  men  as  that  of  any  other  portion  of  the 
country. 

During  his  visit  to  New  York  he  one  day  strolled  into  the 
Five  Points  Mission  Sunday  School,  and,  doubtless,  being  mis- 
taken for  a  minister,  was  called  upon  to  address  the  scholars. 
This  he  did  in  such  a  sweet,  attractive  way  that  all  were  fasci- 
nated with  the  stranger,  and  when  he  intended  to  stop  they 
begged  him  to  continue,  and  when,  at  last,  he  was  on  the  point 
of  leaving,  the  superintendent  asked  his  name  ;  he  simply  re- 
plied, "  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois." 

We  are  now  brought  down  to  the  period  when  the  irrepressi- 
ble conflict  was  rapidly  approaching.  The  ultra  portion  of  the 
pro-slavery  men  in  the  South  were  at  last  resolved,  if  possible, 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  275 

to  break  up  the  Union.  They  had  seen  the  power  and  prestige 
of  slavery  slipping  away.  They  had  just  lost  California,  Kan- 
sas, and  practically  Nebraska,  which  they  had  fondly  hoped  to 
see  admitted  as  slave  States,  and  at  last  they  realized  that  the 
preponderating  population  and  wealth  of  the  free  States  did 
not  intend  to  submit  to  the  extension  of  slavery  into  the  terri- 
tories. They  realized  that  the  day  had  passed  when  pro- 
slavery  men  could  dominate  in  the  country.  They  realized 
that  the  people  of  the  Northern  States  were  beginning  to  con- 
sider slavery  as  an  institution  with  no  moral  rights,  and  that  it 
should  have  only  the  legal  rights  constitutionally  guaranteed  to 
it.  Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  that  at  last  had  resolved 
the  Secessionists  in  principle  to  disrupt  the  Union  and  form  an 
independent  slave  autocracy,  in  which  slavery  should  be  the 
fundamental  principle  of  the  government.  The  leaders  of  the 
slavery  party  would  very  complacently  have  remained  in  the 
Union  could  they  have  established  slavery  in  California,  Kan- 
sas, Nebraska  and  other  territories,  but  failing  in  this  they 
shrewdly  saw  that  the  rapid  increase  of  free  States  and  their 
growth  in  population  and  wealth,  would  soon  be  able  to  confine 
slavery  to  its  present  existing  limits,  if  not  even  to  gradually 
gather  the  border  slave  States  into  the  fold  of  universal  free- 
dom. 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  indications  pointed 
strongly  to  the  election  of  a  Republican  President,  and  not  only 
hi  anticipation  of  this,  but  in  actual  desire  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  event,  the  leadersof  the  Secession  movement  began 
at  once  quietly  to  secure  possession  of  our  forts  and  arsenals  in 
the  South,  by  the  appointment  of  officers  in  charge  who  were  of 
known  Secession  sentiments,  and  who  at  the  proper  time  would 
turn  them  over  to  the  Southern  government.  But  even  with 
the  threats  of  secession  and  the  apparent  intention  to  seize  the 
military  and  naval  strongholds,  the  general  public  could  not  be 
brought  to  a  realization  of  the  danger  of  a  disruption  of  the 
government. 

In  the  spring  of  1860,  on  the  2  3d  of  April,  the  Democratic 
National  Convention  met  at  Charleston.  As  was  anticipated, 
the  Northern  and  the  Southern  wings  of  the  Democratic  party 


S76  LIVES  OF   CUE  PRESIDENTS. 

could  not  agree.  The  Northern  Democrats  wanted  Douglas,  and 
declared  that  he  was  the  only  man  who  could  carry  the  party 
through  to  victory.  But  such  a  victory  the  Southern  Demo- 
crats did  not  want.  They  wanted  no  candidate  who  was  not 
absolutely  and  without  reserve  a  pro-slavery  man.  On  that 
they  were  candid  in  asserting  that  they  wanted  a  square  fight 
between  slavery  and  anti-slavery,  without  the  compromise  of  a 
single  right. 

The  result  was  a  split,  and  the  Southern  delegation  withdrew, 
leaving  the  regular  convention  in  session,  which,  after  balloting 
fifty-seven  times  without  making  a  selection,  adjourned  to  meet 
in  Baltimore  on  the  18th  of  June,  at  which  time  they  nominated 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  as  their  candidate,  while  the  Southern  wing 
met  and  nominated  John  C.  Breckinridge.  There  was  still 
another  party,  made  up  mostly  of  old  line  Whigs,  who  met,  and, 
declaring  their  principles  to  be  "  the  Constitution,  the  Union 
and  the  Enforcement  of  the  Laws,"  they  nominated  John  Bell, 
of  Tennessee,  for  President,  and  Edward  Everett,  of  Massachu- 
setts, for  Yice-President. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  1860,  the  National  Republican  Conven- 
tion met  in  Chicago,  under  circumstances  of  the  greatest  politi- 
cal interest  and  enthusiasm.  The  crowd  of  delegates  and 
visitors  was  estimated  at  twenty-five  thousand.  The  conven- 
tion met  in  a  great  building  called  the  Wigwam,  constructed  for 
the  purpose,  and  never  before  had  there  been  such  an  immense 
attendance  upon  a  similar  occasion.  When  the  balloting 
began  there  were  found  to  be  eleven  candidates  brought  forward 
by  the  different  delegations,  but  it  was  soon  found  that  the  con- 
test was  to  be  between  William  H.  Seward  and  Mr.  Lincoln.  In 
the  three  ballotings  the  results  were  as  follows  :  On  the  first 
ballot,  Mr.  Seward  received  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  and 
a  half  votes,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  one  hundred  and  two.  Upon  the 
second  ballot,  Mr.  Seward  received  one  hundred  and  eighty-four 
and  a  half  votes,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  one  hundred  and  eighty-one. 
On  the  third  ballot,  which  also  proved  to  be  the  last,  Mr  Lincoln 
received  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  and  a  half  votes,  which 
required  but  one  and  a  half  vote  to  secure  his  nomination. 
Upon  this  announcement  the  four  votes  of  Ohio  were  trans- 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  277 

{'erred  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  his  nomination  being  declared,  there 
immediately  arose  the  most  intense  excitement  and  unbounded 
enthusiasm,  and  when  it  was  announced  to  the  Immense,  surg- 
ing crowd  on  the  outside  that  "  Abe  Lincoln  is  nominated,"  the 
immense  cheering  actually  drowned  the  noise  of  the  cannon 
firing  the  salute. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  at  home  in  Springfield  anxiously  awaiting  the  click  of  the 
telegraph.  At  last  the  momentous  clicking  began,  and  the 
messenger  who  bore  to  Mr.  Lincoln  the  telegram  said : 

"  The  convention  has  made  a  nomination,  and  Mr.  Seward  is 
— the  second  man  on  the  list." 

Mr.  Lincoln's  feelings  can  better  be  imagined  than  described, 
but  after  a  moment's  silence,  when  (he  congratulations  were 
over,  he  remarked  : 

' '  There  is  a  little  woman  on  Eighth  street  who  has  some  in- 
terest in  the  matter  ;"  and,  putting  the  telegram  in  his  pocket, 
he  rapidly  walked  home.  The  news  soon  spread  in  Springfield, 
and  Mr.  Lincoln's  house  was  thronged  with  visitors  heaping 
their  congratulations  upon  him.  A  salute  of  a  hundred  guns 
was  fired,  and  in  the  evening  the  State-House  was  brilliantly 
illuminated  and  thrown  open  for  a  great  meeting  of  the  citi- 
zens, who,  at  the  close,  marched  in  a  body  to  Mr.  Lincoln's 
house  and  called  for  him  with  the  most  enthusiastic  cheering. 
In  response,  Mr.  Lincoln  came  out  and  made  an  appropriate 
speech.  Then  he  invited  as  many  into  the  house  as  could  get 
in,  and  entertained  them  until  a  late  hour. 

The  next  day  he  was  waited  upon  by  the  committee  of  the 
convention,  and  officially  informed  of  his  nomination.  In  an- 
ticipation of  this  official  visit  tsome  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  friends  sent 
in  several  baskets  of  wines  and  liquors,  but  true  to  his  cold- 
water  principles,  Mr.  Lincoln  politely  returned  them  and  drank 
the  health  of  the  committee  in  the  only  beverage  he  had  ever 
used  in  his  family,  pure  water. 

It  soon  became  necessary  to  set  aside  a  room  in  the  State 
House  for  public  receptions,  so  great  was  the  throng  that  con- 
tinually came  to  pay  homage  to  this  great  self-made  man.  It 
was  so  universally  believed  that  Mr.  Lincoln  would  be  elected 


278  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

President,  that  crowds  who  sought  the  public  patronage  came 
daily,  as  well  as  those  who  called  for  the  sake  of  old  acquaint- 
ance or  political  friendship.  But  to  all  alike  was  Mr.  Lincoln 
courteous  and  kind,  and  especially  so  was  he  toward  the  hum- 
ble poor,  so  many  of  whom  had  known  and  befriended  him  in 
the  days  of  his  early  struggles  with  the  adversities  of  life. 
Upon  one  occasion  two  awkward,  bashful  young  fellows  came 
in  while  Mr.  Lincoln  was  talking  to  a  number  of  gentlemen, 
and  seeing  that  they  appeared  ill  at  ease,  he  excused  himself  for 
a  moment  from  his  company,  and  stepped  up  to  them  and  said: 
"How  do  you  do,  my  good  fellows  !  What  can  I  do  for  you? 
Will  you  sit  down  ? "  One  of  them  then  explained  that  there 
had  been  a  matter  of  dispute  in  reference  to  the  relative  height 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  companion.  Upon  this  explanation  of 
the  visit  Mr.  Lincoln  good-naturedly  stood  up  with  the  young 
man  against  the  wall  and  compared  heights,  declaring  as  he 
rubbed  liis  head  back  and  forth  under  the  measurement  that  he 
and  the  young  man  were  exactly  the  same  height.  At  another 
time  an  old  and  poorly -dressed  woman  came  to  see  him  and 
reminded  him  of  a  very  poor  dinner  she  had  once  given  him, 
when  he  had  declared  that  it  was  good  enough  for  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Lincoln  remembered  the  old 
lady,  and  talked  so  kindly  and  pleasantly  to  her  of  old  times 
that  she  went  away  very  happy. 

One  thing  that  both  surprised  and  pained  Mr.  Lincoln  was  to 
find  that  nearly  all  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  Springfield 
were  opposed  to  his  election:  "  These  men,"  said  he,  "  well 
know  that  I  am  for  freedom  in  the  territories,  freedom  every- 
where as  far  as  the  Constitution  and  laws  will  permit,  and 
that  my  opponents  are  for  slavery.  They  know  this,  and  yet, 
with  this  holy  Book  in  their  hands,  in  the  light  of  which  human 
bondage  cannot  live  a  moment,  they  are  going  to  vote  against 
me.';  Continuing  after  a  pause,  with  a  trembling  voice  and  his 
cheeks  wet  with  tears,  he  said:  "  I  know  that  there  is  a  God 
and  that  He  hates  injustice  and  slavery.  I  see  the  storm  com- 
ing and  I  know  that  His  hand  is  in  it.  If  He  has  a  place  for 
me,  and  I  think  He  has,  I  believe  I  am  ready.  I  know  I  am 
right  because  I  know  that  liberty  is  right,  for  Christ  teaches  it. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  279 

Douglas  don't  care  whether  slavery  is  voted  up  or  voted  down, 
but  God  cares  and  humanity  cares  and  I  care,  and  with  God's 
help  I  shall  not  fail.  Doesn't  it  appear  strange  that  men  can 
ignore  the  moral  aspects  of  this  contest  ?  A  revelation  could 
not  make  it  plainer  to  me  that  slavery  or  the  government 
must  be  destroyed.  It  seems  as  if  God  had  borne  with  this 
slavery  until  the  very  teachers  of  religion  have  come  to  defend 
it  from  the  Bible,  and  to  claim  for  it  a  divine  character  and 
sanction,  and  now  the  cup  of  iniquity  is  full  and  the  vials  of 
wrath  will  be  poured  out." 

Thus,  with  a  consciousness  of  the  right  and  justice  of  his 
course,  Mr.  Lincoln  waited  quietly  the  result  of  the  election. 
The  result  at  last  came,  and  it  gave  Mr.  Lincoln  one  hundred 
and  eighty  electoral  votes,  Mr.  Breckinridge  seventy-two,  Mr. 
Bell  thirty-nine,  and  Mr.  Douglas  twelve. 

As  was  naturally  expected,  Mr.  Lincoln's  election  created 
great  rejoicing  among  the  Republicans,  great  uneasiness  among 
the  Northern  Democrats  and  Southern  Union  men,  and  intense 
indignation  among  the  Secessionists.  For  a  short  time  there 
was  a  lull  before  the  storm,  and  many,  even  of  the  Republicans, 
believed  that  the  impending  crisis  would  be  averted.  But  the 
day  of  conflict  was  rapidly  approaching.  South  Carolina  began 
preparations  in  four  days  after  the  election,  by  mustering  ten 
thousand  volunteers  and  calling  for  a  convention  to  pass  an  act 
of  secession.  This  was  followed  up  on  the  27th  of  December, 
1860,  by  the  seizure  of  Fort  Moultrie  and  Castle  Pinckney  and 
the  revenue  cutter  William  AiJcen,  in  Charleston  Harbor. 

On  the  30th  of  December  the  arsenal  was  seized.  This  was 
followed,  on  the  2d  of  January,  1861,  by  the  North  Carolinians 
taking  possession  of  Fort  Macon  and  the  arsenal  at  Fayetteville. 
Forts  Pulaski  and  Jackson  and  the  arsenal  at  Savannah  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Georgians  on  the  3d,  and  on  the  4th  Fort  Morgan 
and  the  Mobile  arsenal  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  State  of 
Alabama,  and  thus  in  succession  Forts  Johnson,  Connel,  McRae, 
Barrancas,  Pike,  St.  Philip  and  Jackson,  and  the  navy  yard  at 
Pensacola  and  arsenal  at  Baton  Rouge,  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  rebels. 

While    these    unlawful  acts  were    being    perpetrated    the 


280  LIVES   OF  OUB  PRESIDENTS. 

Southern  States  began  passing  acts  of  secession,  which  rapidly 
culminated  in  the  formation  of  a  Southern  Confederacy,  with 
Jefferson  Davis  as  President,  and  a  Cabinet  and  Congress  and 
general  form  of  government  similar  to  that  of  the  United 
States,  save  that  slavery  and  State  rights  were  made  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  new  government  which  had  been  un- 
lawfully and  unconstitutionally  formed. 

During  all  these  overt  acts  of  rebellion  President  Buchanan 
sat  in  the  executive  chair  a  contemptible  picture  of  imbecility, 
doing  nothing  and  forbidding  General  Scott  and  other  loyal 
military  and  naval  officers  from  taking  any  steps  to  oppose  the 
acts  of  rebellion. 

Such  was  the  desperate  condition  of  affairs  on  the  llth  of 
February,  1861,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  left  his  peaceful  home  in 
Springfield  for  the  turmoil  and  strife  and  cares  and  anxieties 
and  excitement  of  his  Presidential  career  in  Washington. 
Everywhere  on  his  journey  through  the  Northern  States  the 
public  greeted  him  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  and  in  a  num- 
ber of  the  principal  cities  he  stopped  and  accepted  the  hospitali- 
ties ai-d  ovations  of  the  citizens,  both  receiving  and  delivering 
addresses  appropriate  to  each  special  occasion.  In  this  way  he 
passed  through  Indianapolis,  Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Pittsburgh, 
Cleveland,  Buffalo,  Albany,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  other 
cities.  As  he  approached  nearer  to  the  National  Capital,  it 
became  evident  that  a  plot  was  on  foot  for  his  assassination, 
and  threats  had  been  freely  made  that  he  should  never  be 
inaugurated.  Baltimore  was  evidently  the  dangerous  point  on 
the  route,  and  the  intention  was  to  kill  Mr.  Lincoln  during  a 
riot  gotten  up  for  the  purpose  as  the  train  passed  through  the 
city.  This  plan  was  thwarted  by  a  secret  and  special  train 
being  provided  to  take  him  through  at  an  hour  when  he  was 
not  expected.  On  this  train  he  passed  rapidly  through,  and 
arrived  at  Washington  at  daylight  the  next  morning. 

At  last  the  eventful  4th  of  March  dawned  upon  the  country, 
when  the  inauguration  of  a  President  was  to  take  place  which 
was  to  precipitate  war  upon  the  country  by  the  acts  of  the  re- 
bellious States.  The  crowd  which  had  assembled  was  an  im- 
mense concourse  of  human  beings,  and  the  procession  was  very 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  28l 

grand  and  imposing,  as  well  as  formidable  by  the  strong  mili- 
tary display  which  General  Scott  had  provided  in  anticipation 
of  any  attempt  at  riot  or  assassination.  In  the  procession  Mr. 
Buchanan  and  Mr.  Lincoln  rode  in  the  same  carriage. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  on  arriving  at  the  Capitol,  delivered  his  inaugu- 
ral address,  of  which  the  following  contains  the  most  important 
sentiments  : 

"  FELLOW  CITIZENS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES:  In  compliance  with  a  custom 
as  old  as  the  Government  itself,  I  appear  before  you  to  address  you  briefly, 
and  to  take  in  your  presence  the  oath  prescribed  by  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  to  betaken  by  the  President  before  he  enters  on  the  execu- 
tion of  his  office. 

"  Apprehension  seems  to  exist  among  the  people  of  the  Southern  States 
that  by  the  accession  of  a  Republican  administration  their  property  and 
their  peace  and  personal  security  are  to  be  endangered.  There  has  never 
been  any  reasonable  cause  for  such  apprehension.  Indeed,  the  most  ample 
evidence  to  the  contrary  has  all  the  while  existed,  and  been  open  to  their 
inspection.  It  is  found  in  nearly  all  the  published  speeches  of  him  who  now 
addresses  you.  I  do  but  quote  from  one  of  those  speeches  when  I  declare 
that  I  have  no  purpose  directly  or  indirectly  to  interfere  with  the  institution 
of  slavery  in  the  States  where  it  exists.  I  believe  I  have  no  lawful  right  to 
do  so,  and  I  have  no  inclination  to  do  so.  Those  who  nominated  and  elected 
me  did  so  with  the  full  knowledge  that  I  have  made  this  and  many  similar 
declarations,  and  have  never  recanted  them ;  and,  more  than  this,  they 
placed  in  the  platform,  for  my  acceptance,  and  as  a  law  to  themselves  and 
to  me,  the  clear  and  emphatic  resolution  which  I  now  read  : 

" '  Resolved,  That  the  maintenance  inviolate  of  the  rights  of  States,  and 
especially  the  right  of  each  State  to  order  and  control  its  own  domestic  in- 
stitutions according  to  its  own  judgment  exclusively,  is  essential  to  tnat 
balance  of  power  on  which  the  perfection  and  endurance  of  our  political 
fabric  depends  ;  and  we  denounce  the  lawless  invasion  by  armed  force  of 
the  soil  of  any  State  or  Territory,  no  matter  under  what  pretext,  as  among 
the  gravest  of  crimes.' 

"  I  add,  too,  that  all  the  protection  that  can  consistently  with  the  Constitu- 
tion and  the  laws  be  given,  will  be  cheerfully  extended  to  all  the  States 
when  lawfully  demanded,  for  whatever  cause  ;  as  cheerfully  to  one  cause  as 
to  another. 

"A  disruption  of  the  Federal  Union,  heretofore  only  menaced,  is  now  for- 
midably attempted .  I  hold  that  in  the  contemplation  of  universal  law,  and  of 
the  Constitution,  the  union  of  these  States  is  perpetual.  Perpetuity  is  im- 
plied, if  not  expressed,  in  the  fundamental  law  of  all  national  Governments. 
It  is  safe  to  assert  that  no  government  proper  ever  had  a  provision  in  its  or- 
ganic law  for  its  own  termination.  Continue  to  execute  all  the  express  pro- 
visions of  our  national  Constitution,  and  the  Union  will  endure  forever  ;  it 


282  LIVES    OP  OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

being  impossible  to  destroy  it,  except  by  some  action  not  provided  for  in  the 
instrument  itself. 

"  The  Union  is  much  older  than  the  Constitution.  It  was  formed,  in  fact,  by 
the  Articles  of  Association,  in  1774.  It  was  matured  and  continued  in  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  in  1776.  It  was  further  matured,  and  the  faith 
of  all  the  then  thirteen  States  expressly  plighted  and  engaged  that  it  should 
be  perpetual,  by  the  Articles- of  Confederation,  in  1778  ;  and  finally,  in  1787, 
one  of  the  declared  objects  for  ordaining  and  establishing  the  Constitution 
was  to  form  a  more  perfect  Union.  But  if  the  destruction  of  the  Union  by 
one  or  by  a  part  only  of  the  States  be  lawfully  possible,  the  Union  is  less  per- 
fect than  before;  the  Constitution  having  lost  the  vital  element  of  perpetuity. 

"It  follows  from  these  views  that  no  State,  upon  its  own  mere  motion,  can 
lawfully  get  out  of  the  Union  ;  that  resolves  and  ordinances  to  that  effect 
are  legally  void,  and  that  acts  of  violence  within  any  State  or  States  against 
the  authority  of  the  United  States  are  insurrectionary  or  revolutionary,  ac- 
cording to  circumstances. 

"  I  therefore  consider,  that,  in  view  of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  the 
Union  is  not  broken  ;  and  to  the  extent  of  my  ability  I  shall  take  care,  as  the 
Constitution  itself  expressly  enjoins  upon  me,  that  the  laws  of  the  Union 
shall  be  faithfully  executed  in  all  the  States.  Doing  this,  which  I  deem  to 
be  only  a  simple  duty  on  my  part,  I  shall  certainly  perform  it  so  far  as  is 
practicable,  unless  nay  rightful  masters,  the  American  people,  shall  withhold 
the  requisition,  or  in  some  authoritative  manner  direct  the  contrary. 

"  All  the  vital  rights  of  minorities  and  individuals  are  so  plainly  assured  to 
them  by  affirmations  and  negations,  guarantees  and  prohibitions,  in  the  Con- 
stitution, that  controversies  never  arise  concerning  them,  but  no  organic  law 
can  ever  be  framed  with  a  provision  specifically  applicable  to  every  question 
which  may  occur  in  practical  administration.  No  foresight  can  anticipate, 
nor  any  document  of  reasonable  lenerth  contain,  express  provisions  for  all 
possible  questions.  Shall  fugitives  from  labor  be  surrendered  by  National 
or  by  State  authorities  ?  The  Constitution  does  not  expressly  say.  Must 
Congress  protect  slavery  in  the  Territories  ?  The  Constitution  does  not  ex- 
pressly say.  From  questions  of  this  class  spring  all  our  Constitutional  con- 
troversies, and  we  decide  upon  them  into  majorities  and  minorities. 

"  If  the  minority  will  not  acquiesce,  the  majority  must,  or  the  government 
must  cease.  There  is  no  alternative  for  continuing  the  government  but 
acquiescence  on  the  one  side  or  the  other.  If  a  minority  in  such  a 
case  will  secede  rather  than  acquiesce,  they  make  a  precedent  which,  in 
turn,  will  rum  and  divide  them  ;  for  a  minority  of  their  own  will  secede  from 
them  whenever  a  majority  refuses  to  be  controlled  by  such  a  minority  ;  for 
instance,  why  not  any  portion  of  a  new  confederacy,  a  year  or  two  hence, 
arbitrarily  secede  again,  precisely  as  portions  of  the  present  Union  now 
claim  to  secede  from  it '!  All  who  cherish  disunion  sentiments  are  now  be- 
ing educated  to  the  exact  temper  of  doing  this.  Is  there  such  perfect  iden- 
tity of  interests  among  the  States  to  compose  a  new  Union  to  produce 
harmony  only,  and  prevent  secession  ?  Plainly,  the  central  idea  of  secession 
is  the  essence  of  anarchy. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOIJf. 


"  One  section  of  our  country  believes  slavery  is  right  and  ought  to  be 
extended  ;  while  the  other  believes  it  is  v  ron^  and  ought  not  to  be 
extended.  And  this  is  the  only  substantial  dispute.  Physically  speaking, 
we  cannot  separate  ;  we  cannot  remove  our  respective  sections  from  each 
other,  nor  build  an  impassable  wall  between  them.  A  husband  and  wife 
may  be  divorced,  and  go  out  of  the  presence  and  beyond  the  reach  of  each 
other  ;  but  the  different  parts  of  our  country  cannot  do  this.  They  cannot 
but  remain  face  to  face  ;  and  intercourse  either  amicable  or  hostile  must 
continue  between  them.  Is  it  possible  then  to  make  that  intercourse  more 
advantageous  or  more  satisfactory  after  separation  than  before  ?  Can  aliens 
make  treaties  easier  than  friends  can  make  laws?  Can  treaties  be  more 
faithfully  enforced  between  aliens  than  can  laws  among  friends  ?  Suppose 
you  go  to  war,  you  cannot  fight  always;  and  when,  after  much  loss  on  both 
sides,  and  no  gain  on  either,  you  cease  fighting,  the  identical  questions  as  to 
terms  of  intercourse  are  again  upon  you. 

'•  If  it  were  admitted  that  you  who  are  dissatisfied  hold  the  right  side  of  the 
dispute,  there  is  still  no  single  reason  for  precipitate  action.  Intelligence, 
patriotism,  Christianity,  and  a  firm  reliance  on  Him  who  has  never  yet  for- 
saken this  favored  land,  are  still  compe':  :nt  to  adjust  in  the  best  way  all  our 
present  difficulties. 

"  In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  countrymen,  and  not  in  mine,  is  the  mo- 
mentous issue  of  civil  war.  The  Government  will  not  assail  you. 

"  You  can  have  no  conflict  without  being  yourselves  the  azg.  cssc  rs.  You 
have  no  oath  registered  in  heaven  to  destroy  the  Government ;  while  I  shall 
have  the  most  solemn  one  to  '  preserve,  protect  and  defend  '  it. 

"  I  am  loath  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  We  must  not  be 
enemies.  Though  passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds 
of  affection. 

"  The  mystic  cords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battlefield  and 
patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone  all  over  this  broad  land, 
will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union  when  again  touched,  as  ;-:  urely  they 
will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our  nature." 

Thus  ended  his  noble  and  patriotic  address,  and  nothing  more 
remained  but  to  administer  the  oath  of  office  which  was  to 
place  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  executive  chair  of  the  nation  at  the 
most  perilous  period  of  our  national  existence.  It  was  hopeless 
to  think  that  aught  he  said  or  that  any  man  could  say  would 
turn  aside  the  red  hand  of  rebellion  and  war  which  was  raised 
in  the  South,  and  nothing  remained  but  for  the  President  to 
select  his  Cabinet  and  prepare  to  uphold  the  Union  in  its 
integrity  and  honor. 

The  selection  of  his  Cabinet  was  wise  and  suitable  to  the  grave 
demands  of  the  hour.  Mr.  Seward  was  selected  for  Secretary 


284  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

of  State  ;  Simon  Cameron,  of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  Waf 
Gideon  Welles,  of  Connecticut,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ;  Salrnoi; 
P.  Chase,  of  Ohio,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  Caleb  B.  Smith, 
of  Indiana,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  ;  Edward  Bates,  of  Mis- 
souri, Attorney-General,  and  Montgomery  Blair,  of  Maryland, 
Postmaster-General. 

Language  is  scarcely  adequate  to  describe  the  condition  of 
affairs  at  this  particular  period.  Every  department  of  the 
Government  in  Washington  and  elsewhere  was  full  of  rebel 
sympathizers,  who  wore  in  everyway  giving  aid  and  comfort  to 
the  enemies  of  the  Union.  The  diplomatic  departments  abroad 
were  full  of  those  who  had  been  appointed  under  the  previous 
administration  for  the  purpose  of  moulding  European  opinion 
against  the  Government  and  securing  their  sympathy  and  aid 
for  the  cause  of  rebellion.  The  first  labor  was  to  clear  these 
Augean  stables  of  treason,  and  substitute  loyalty  and  patriotism 
in  their  stead.  The  next  important  work  was  to  quietly 
strengthen  the  hands  of  the  Government  wherever  possible,  and 
yet  to  do  this  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  give  the  Secessionists 
a  pretext  for  the  commencement  of  hostilities.  Even  the  North 
was  hesistating  and  divided  as  to  the  policy  which  should  be 
adopted,  and  only  the  seceded  States  seemed  united  to  a  man. 
Something  was  needed  to  unite  the  Union-loving  people  of  the 
country.  That  something  \vas  supplied  the  day  Fort  Sumter 
fell.  Never  before,  perhaps,  in  the  history  of  the  world  did  any 
people  spring  forward  with  such  feelings  of  indignation  and 
with  such  a  spirit  of  resistance  as  did  the  loyal  people  of  the 
United  States  when  the  starry  flag  of  our  country  had  been 
fired  upon  and  one  of  our  forts  had  been  battered  by  rebel  guns 
and  forced  to  surrender  with  its  heroic  garrison.  On  that  day 
the  United  States  Government,  through  the  people,  rose  grand 
and  sublime  in  her  strength,  and  party  lines  were  swept  away. 
The  one  common  sentiment  that  pervaded  the  public  mind  was 
to  resent  the  insult  to  the  flag  and  force  the  seceded  States  to 
return  to  the  Union. 

For  the  first  time  Mr.  Lincoln  had  an  opportunity  for  action. 
An  insurrectionary  war  had  now  been  inaugurated  by  the  seceded 
States,  which  had  organized  the  so-called  Southern  Confed- 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  385 

eracy,  with  Jefferson  Davis  as  President,  and  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment at  Montgomery,  Alabama. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  1861,  three  days  after  the  fall  of  Fort 
Sumter,  Mr.  Lincoln  issued  the  memorable  proclamation  calling 
for  seventy-five  thousand  volunteers  to  defend  the  national 
Capitol  and  finally  to  recover  possession  of  the  forts,  arsenals 
and  navy  yards  belonging  to  the  United  States  which  had  been 
taken  by  the  rebels.  To  facilitate  action,  the  proclamation  also 
convened  Congress  to  assemble  on  the  4th  of  July. 

The  greatest  excitement  and  enthusiasm  was  created  by  the 
proclamation,  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas  said  to  Mr.  Lincoln : 

•'  Mr.  President,  I  cordially  concur  in  every  word  of  that 
document,  except  that  in  the  call  for  seventy-five  thousand 
men  I  would  make  it  two  hundred  thousand.  You  do  not 
know  the  dishonest  purposes  of  those  men  as  well  as  I  do." 

In  the  calm  light  of  history  we  can  see  to-day  that  it  should 
have  been  a  call  for  even  more  than  two  hundred  thousand 
men,  but  the  traitorous  Secretary  of  War,  Floyd,  during 
Buchanan's  administration,  had  robbed  the  Northern  arsenals 
of  arms  and  sent  them  South  to  be  used  against  the  govern- 
ment, and  it  was  found  difficult  to  even  supply  munitions  of 
war  to  the  force  called  for.  This  the  South  knew,  and  they 
laughed  to  scorn  the  attempt  to  put  down  the  rebellion  with 
the  facilities  the  government  possessed,  and  the  rebel  Secretary 
of  War  said  in  Montgomery,  just  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  : 

"No  man  can  tell  where  this  war  will  end,  but  I  will  prophesy 
that  the  flag  which  now  flaunts  to  the  breeze  above  us  will 
float  over  the  dome  of  the  old  Capitol  at  Washington  before  the 
first  of  May,  and  may  float  eventually  over  Faneuil  Hall  itself." 

The  next  necessary  action  was  for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  declare  a 
blockade  of  the  ports  in  the  seceded  States. 

After  this  important  military  movements  were  made  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  Washington  was  rendered  safe  against 
surprise  and  capture.  Fortress  Monroe  was  reinforced,  and 
Cairo,  111.,  was  occupied  by  government  troops,  and  the  block- 
ade was  extended  to  the  ports  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 
This  was  followed  by  the  formation  of  the  new  military  depart- 
ments. 


286  T.IVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

On  the  3d  of  May  Mr.  Lincoln  called  for  forty -two  thousand 
additional  volunteers  and  for  twenty- two  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  men  for  different  classes  of  service  in  the 
regular  army.  There  was  also  a  call  made  for  eighteen  thousand 
men  to  serve  in  the  navy. 

During  this  time  the  rebels  were  not  idle,  but  were  spreading 
their  field  of  operations  and  taking  possession  of  important 
points  and  throwing  their  troops  into  the  slave  States  which 
had  not  seceded,  with  a  view  of  forcing  them  out  of  the  Union. 
In  this  they  were  encouraged  and  aided  by  disloyal  officials  of 
the  States,  the  Governor  of  Missouri  doing  all  in  his  power  to 
throw  his  State  into  rebel  hands,  until  General  Lyon  took 
military  possession,  and  by  seizing  the  arms  in  the  St.  Louis 
Arsenal  for  the  Government  troops,  saved  them  from  falling 
into  the  hands  of  our  enemies.  The  so-called  Confederate  army 
was  officered  by  many  men  from  the  regular  Army,  a  number  of 
whom  were  graduates  of  West  Point,  and  at  the  commence- 
ment of  hostilities  they  had  been  brought  up  to  an  excellent 
military  condition,  while  our  army  was  far  from  satisfactory. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  General  Butler  took  command  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  South  and  made  his  headquarters  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  on  the  10th  of  June  occurred  the  battle  of  Big 
Bethel.  But  a  still  more  serious  lesson  was  to  be  learned  by  the 
people  of  the  Union.  On  the  19th  of  July  began  that  bloody 
and  cruel  battle  of  Bull  Run,  which  ended  on  the  21st  in  such  a 
terrible  rout  of  our  forces,  in  which  the  entire  army  fled  panic- 
stricken  in  the  greatest  disorder  to  Washington. 

This  experience,  even  at  so  dear  a  cost,  was  after  all  a  probable 
blessing  in  disguise.  It  brought  the  people  of  the  country  to 
realize  how  terrible  a  war  had  come  upon  us,  and  that  if  we 
would  win  we  must  become  more  imbued  with  the  spirit  and 
scathless  courage  of  the  Revolutionary  patriots  who  taught  us 
such  a  glorious  lesson  of  endurance  and  devotion  to  a  holy  cause. 
In  maintaining  the  integrity  of  the  Union  for  which  they  had 
fought  and  died,  our  purpose  was  as  noble  as  theirs,  and  defeat 
brought  out  the  heroic  part  of  our  natures. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  rebellion  suffered  a  great  disap- 
pointment in  being  unable  to  force  all  the  slave  States  out  of 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  287 

the  Union.  This  hope  they  cherished  for  many  months,  and 
with  almost  equal  results  awaited  the  recognition  of  their  sep- 
arate nationality  by  the  governments  of  Europe.  At  almost  the 
very  opening  of  hostilities  England  and  France  had  recognized 
the  rebellious  States  as  a  belligerent  power,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  the  persistent  diplomacy  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  through  his  able 
Secretary,  Mr.  Seward,  it  is  certain  that  a  general  recognition 
of  the  insurrectionary  government  would  have  been  made. 

Congress  had,  in  accordance  with  the  President's  proclama- 
tion, met  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  in  his  message  Mr.  Lincoln 
urged  that  the  contest  be  made  a  short  and  decisive  one  by 
placing  at  the  control  of  the  Government  four  hundred  thou- 
sand men  and  four  hundred  million  dollars.  Mr.  Lincoln  then 
in  his  message  took  up  the  subject  of  State  rights,  and  argued 
it  in  its  relation  to  the  right  of  secession  as  claimed,  for  the  pur- 
pose not  only  of  refuting  the  fallacy  at  home,  but  of  convincing 
foreign  governments  of  the  entire  lack  of  foundation  for  such 
a  doctrine. 

Congress,  fully  recognizing  the  exigencies  of  the  hour,  placed 
five  hundred  millions  of  dollars  and  five  hundred  thousand 
troops  at  the  disposal  of  the  President,  and  fully  indorsed  all 
his  measures  for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion.  There  were 
naturally  rebel  sympathizers  in  Congress,  and  men  who  pro- 
tested and  voted  against  every  loyal  measure,  but  the  friends 
of  the  Union  were  greatly  in  the  majority. 

On  the  31st  of  August,  General  Fremont,  in  command  of  the 
Department  of  Missouri,  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  mar- 
tial law  within  the  lines  of  military  occupation,  and  threaten- 
ing with  death  all  those  found  within  the  lines  with  arms  in 
their  hands,  also  confiscating  all  the  real  and  personal  property 
of  persons  in  the  State  who  should  take  up  arms  against  the 
United  States,  and  declaring  their  slaves ,  when  possessed,  free. 
This  proclamation  created  great  excitement  in  the  loyal  slave 
States  and  caused  the  friends  of  the  Union  to  fear  that  it  might 
precipitate  some  of  them  into  secession. 

Mr.  Lincoln  disapproved  of  the  severe  measures  of  the  procla- 
mation, and  he  requested  General  Fremont  to  modify  some 
portions  of  it,  and  especially  that  in  reference  to  the  liberation 


388  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

of  slaves,  so  that  it  would  conform  to  the  confiscation  act  just 
passed  by  Congress,  by  which  only  those  slaves  were  freed  that 
were  engaged  in  rebel  service. 

Early  in  November  the  memorable  Trent  affair  occurred,  by 
which  the  boarding  of  that  vessel  by  Captain  Wilkes  and  tak- 
ing off  Mason  and  Slidell,  the  rebel  commissioners,  so  nearly 
precipitated  war  between  the  United  States  and  England,  a 
disaster  which  was  averted  only  by  the  masterly  diplomacy  of 
Mr.  Seward,  and  however  much  our  Government  may  have  been 
blamed  and  even  sneered  at  for  the  concession  we  made,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  its  peaceable  results  sealed  the  doom  of  the 
rebellion  and  lost  them  the  chance  of  winning  their  cause 
through  the  aid  of  England.  It  was  policy,  not  cowardice, 
that  actuated  us  in  the  concession,  and  if  we  had  any  wounded 
honor  to  nurse,  the  Alabama  claims  applied  the  healing  salve 
very  soon  afterward. 

On  the  3d  of  December,  1861,  the  regular  session  of  Congress 
met,  and  Mr.  Lincoln's  annual  message  opened  with  reference  • 
to  the  attitude  of  foreign  governments,  and  advised  that, 
should  those  governments  be  controlled  only  by  material  con- 
siderations, they  would  find  that  the  quickest  and  best  way  out 
of  the  embarrassments  of  commerce  caused  by  American  diflS 
culties  would  be  rather  through  the  maintenance  than  the  de- 
struction of  the  Union.  "Since,  however,"  he  continued,  "it 
is  apparent  that  here,  as  in  every  other  State,  foreign  dangers 
necessarily  attend  domestic  difficulties,  I  recommend  that  ade- 
quate and  ample  measures  be  adopted  for  maintaining  the  pub- 
lic defenses  on  every  side." 

The  message  then  reviewed  the  favorable  progress  of  the  war 
for  the  Union  cause,  and  gave  the  gratifying  intelligence  that 
the  three  States  of  Maryland,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  neither 
of  which  would  promise  a  single  soldier  at  first,  had  then  an 
aggregate  of  not  less  than  forty  thousand  men  in  the  field  for 
the  Union. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  detect  in  the  public 
mind  a  growing  sentiment  in  favor  of  abolishing  slavery,  and 
this  encouraged  him  to  put  his  own  principles  into  action. 
With  this  end  in  view,  on  the  6th  of  March,  1863,  he  sent  a  mes- 


ABBAHAM  LINCOLN.  289 

sage  to  Congress,  recommending  the  passage  of  a  joint  resolu- 
tion which  should  in  substance  be  as  follows  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  United  States  ought  to  co-operate  with  any  State 
which  may  gradually  adopt  abolishment  of  slavery,  giving  to  such  State 
pecuniary  aid,  to  be  used  by  such  State  at  its  discretion,  to  compensate  for 
inconveniences,  public  and  private,  produced  by  such  change  of  system." 

It  could  plainly  be  seen  that  circumstances  were  drifting  to 
the  freedom  of  the  slaves,  and  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  struggling 
as  long  as  possible  in  his  kind  feeling  toward  the  loyal  stave 
States  to  leave  slavery  unmolested  even  in  the  rebellious  States 
for  their  sakes,  but  these  States  were  blind  to  the  inevitable 
results  of  the  war,  and  made  no  effort  to  accept  of  the  measures 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  resolution,  although  the  President  was  at  that 
time  gradually  preparing  the  public  mind  for  emancipation. 

At  last  Mr.  Lincoln  fully  realized  the  military  necessity  of  pun- 
ishing the  rebellious  States  and  inflicting  upon  them  a  serious 
blow  by  issuing  his  long-premeditated  Emancipation  Proclama- 
tion, and  oa  the  22d  of  September,  1862,  he  published  the  memor- 
able document  declaring  that  on  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  all 
the  slaves  in  the  States  then  continuing  in  rebellion  should 
be  free. 

Naturally,  the  most  intense  excitement  folio  wed  this  bold  and 
extreme  measure.  Even  his  Cabinet  were  taken  completely  by 
surprise  wh^n  he  called  them  together  for  the  purpose  of  read- 
ing it  to  them,  at  first  during  the  summer  of  1862.  In  present- 
ing it  to  them  he  stated  that  his  purpose  was  made  up  and  he 
did  not  ask  for  advice,  but  only  for  suggestions  on  minor  points. 
The  first  suggestion  came  from  Mr.  Chase,  who  desirt-d  the 
language  stronger  in  reference  to  arming  the  blacks.  Mr.  Blair 
urged  that  it  would  lose  us  the  fall  elections.  Mr.  Seward  then 
said  :  "Mr.  President,  I  approve  of  the  proclamation,  but  I 
question  the  expediency  of  its  issue  at  this  juncture.  The 
depression  of  the  public  mind  consequent  upon  our  reported 
rt  verses  is  so  great  that  I  fear  so  important  a  step.  It  may  be 
viewed  as  the  last  measure  of  an  exhausted  Government — a  cry 
for  help  ;  the  Government  stretching  forth  its  hands  to  Ethi- 
opia, instead  of  Ethiopia  stretching  forth  its  hands  to  the 
Government ;  our  last  shriek  on  retreat."  And  he  advised  its 


290  LIVES  OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

postponement  until  it  could  follow  after  military  success,  in- 
stead of  some  of  the  greatest  reverses  of  the  war. 

This  presented  the  matter  in  a  new  light  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  and 
he  admitted  the  sound  judgment  of  Mr.  Seward  that  it  would 
not  be  a  favorable  time  to  present  it  to  the  public  just  after 
General  Pope's  disaster  at  Bull  Run  and  his  precipitate  retreat 
upon  Washington,  so  Mr.  Lincoln  waited  until  the  victory  at 
Antietam  gave  the  favorable  opportunity,  then  he  immediately 
rewrote  and  improved  the  original  proclamation,  and,  calling 
his  Cabinet  together,  informed  them  that  the  time  for  giving 
the  proclamation  to  the  country  could  no  longer  be  delayed, 
and  said  he  :  "I  made  a  solemn  vow  before  God  that  if  General 
Lee  should  be  driven  back  from  Pennsylvania  I  would  crown 
the  result  by  the  declaration  of  freedom  to  the  slaves." 

The  proclamation  at  first  created  universal  discussion  both  in 
the  army  and  out,  and  while  the  anti-slavery  men  were  filled 
with  delight,  the  conservative  element  were  gravely  in  doubt  as 
to  the  effect,  while  the  special  lovers  of  the  institution  were  full 
of  threatening  denunciations.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before 
it  was  realized  that  both  at  home  and  abroad  the  act  strength- 
ened the  Government  more  than  the  most  overwhelming  vic- 
tory could  have  done,  while  it  became  a  crown  of  glory  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  which  glitters  brighter  and  brighter  as  time  passes  on. 

The  preamble  of  the  proclamation  issued  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1863,  quoting  from  his  preliminary  proclamation, 
continued  as  follows  : 

"Now,  therefore,  I,  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, President  of  the  United  States, 
by  virtue  of  the  power  in  me  vested  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  United 
States  in  time  of  actual  armed  rebellion  against  the  authority  and 
government  of  the  United  States,  and  as  a  fit  and  necessary  war  measure  for 
suppressing  said  rebellion,  do  on  this  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three,  and  in  accordance  with 
my  purpose  so  to  do,  publicly  proclaimed  for  the  full  period  of  one  hundred 
days  from  the  day  first  above  mentioned,  order  and  designate  as  the  States 
and  parts  of  States  wherein  the  people  thereof  respectively  are  this  day  in 
rebellion  against  the  United  States,  the  following,  to  wit:" 

Then  follow  the  names  of  the  States,  with  the  exception  of 
certain  parishes  in  Louisiana,  the  forty-eight  counties  of  West 
Virginia,  and  certain  counties  in  Virginia : 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  291 

"  And,  by  virtue  of  the  power  and  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  I  do  order  and 
declare  that  all  persons  held  as  slaves  within  said  designated  States  and 
parts  of  >tates,  are,  and  henceforth  shall  be  free ;  and  that  the  executive 
Government  of  the  United  States,  including  the  military  and  naval  author- 
ities thereof,  will  recognize  and  maintain  the  freedom  of  said  persons. 

"  And  I  hereby  enjoin  upon  the  people  so  declared  to  be  free,  to  abstain 
from  all  violence,  unless  in  necessary  self-defense :  and  I  recommend  to 
them  that  in  all  cases,  when  allowed,  they  labor  faithfully  for  reasonable 
wages. 

"And  I  further  declare  and  make  known  that  such  persons  of  suitable 
condition  will  be  received  into  the  armed  service  of  the  United  States,  to 
garrison  forts,  positions,  stations  and  other  places,  and  to  man  vessels  of  all 
sorts  in  said  service. 

'•  And  upon  this  act,  sincerely  believed  to  be  an  act  of  justice,  warranted 
by  the  Constitution,  upon  military  necessity,  1  invoke  the  considerate  judg- 
ment of  mankind,  and  the  gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God. 

"  In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  name,  and  caused  the 
seal  of  the  United  States  to  be  affixed. 

"  Done  at  the  City  of  Washington  this  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three,  and  of  the  Independ- 
ence of  the  United  States  the  eighty-seventh. 
[L.  s.]  "ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

"  WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD,  Secretary  of  State." 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1862,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  issued  his 
proclamation  suspending  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  This  he 
considered  necessary  to  reach  with  suitable  punishment  the 
spies  and  informers  with  which  the  country  abounded,  as  well 
as  that  class  who  discouraged  enlistment  and  sought  every 
opportunity  to  oppose  the  acts  of  the  administration,  and  under 
the  guise  of  political  or  party  opposition  to  discourage  the  war 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  Union. 

This  proclamation  at  once  caused  a  great  outcry  to  be  raised 
against  the  so-called  military  despotism  which  had  endangered 
the  public  liberty  and  by  the  act  of  the  President  subverted  the 
Constitution.  At  the  next  session  of  Congress  the  proclamation 
was  the  subject  of  complaint  and  animated  discussion.  A  large 
majority  in  Congress,  however,  were  on  the  side  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, and  a  bill  was  passed  sustaining  him  and  indemnifying 
him  and  all  who  acted  under  the  proclamation. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  regard  for  the  sacred  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
actuated  him  to  issue  a  circular  letter  to  the  army  impressing 
upon  them  the  "importance  for  man  and  beast  of  the  prescribed 


292  LIVES  OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

weekly  rest;  the  sacred  rights  of  Christian  soldiers  and  sailors,  a 
becoming  deference  to  the  best  sentiment  of  a  Christian  people, 
and  a  due  regard  for  the  Divine  will,  demand  that  Sunday 
labor  in  the  army  and  navy  be  reduced  to  the  measure  of  strict 
necessity.  The  discipline  and  character  of  the  national  forces 
should  not  suffer,  nor  the  cause  they  defend  be  imperiled,  by 
the  profanation  of  the  day  or  the  name  of  the  Most  High." 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  a  dream  of  the  colonization  of  the  blacks  in 
South  America  or  Liberia  or  Hayti,  but  this  dream  was  dissi- 
pated by  one  serious  objection  :  the  blacks  had  no  desire  to  be 
colonized,  and  preferred  to  remain  as  ' '  hewers  of  wood  and 
drawers  of  water"  in  the  land  of  the  whites. 

One  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  wise  measures  was  the  advocacy,  in  his 
annual  message,  of  the  national  bank  system  for  the  production 
of  a  uniform  currency,  secured  by  the  pledge  of  United  States 
bonds.  The  bill  ai,  the  time  was  viewed  as  a  somewhat  doubt- 
ful experiment,  but  fortunately  for  the  financial  condition  of 
the  country  it  was  passed,  and  time  has  proven  the  great  wis- 
dom of  Mr.  Lincoln  as  a  financier. 

As  time  passed  on  the  repeated  victories  of  the  Union  forces 
in  different  parts  of  the  country  were  giving  us  unmistakable 
headway  in  crushing  the  rebellion.  It  was  slow  and  bloody 
work,  however,  and  here  and  there  rebel  successes  offset  our 
victories.  But  the  falling  into  our  hands  of  New  Orleans  and 
Vicksburg,  and  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry,  and  similar  strong- 
holds of  the  rebellion,  were  slowly  but  surely  breaking  its  back- 
bone. 

The  first  three  years  of  the  war  produced  a  very  marked 
effect  upon  Mr.  Lin  com.  He  was  strong  and  robust  as  a  back- 
woodsman when  he  entered  upon  his  executive  duties,  but  with 
all  possible  care  of  himself,  he  became,  in  that  short  time,  a 
prematurely  aged  and  feeble  man,  always  complaining  of  being 
tired.  If  anything  could  refresh  him,  it  was  his  favorite  pas- 
time of  relating  anecdotes.  He  loved  to  read  Artemus  Ward, 
and  he  also  liked  the  recreation  of  the  theatre. 

The  soldiers  who  were  bearing  the  heat  and  burden  of  the 
war  always  held  a  near  place  in  his  heart  and  sympathy. 
Upon  one  occasion,  when  he  had  just  written  a  pardon  for  a 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  293 

young  soldier  who  had  been  condemned  by  court  martial  to  be 
shot  for  sleeping  at  his  post  as  a  sentinel,  Mr.  Lincoln  re- 
marked : 

' '  I  could  not  think  of  going  into  eternity  with  the  blood  of 
that  poor  young  man  on  my  skirts.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  a  boy  raised  on  a  farm,  probably  in  the  habit  of  going 
to  bed  at  dark,  should,  when  required  to  watch,  fall  asleep ; 
and  I  cannot  consent  to  shoot  him  for  such  an  act."  The  Rev. 
Newman  Hall,  in  his  funeral  sermon  upon  Mr.  Lincoln,  said 
that  this  young  soldier  was  found  dead  on  the  field  of  Fred- 
ericksburg  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  photograph  next  to  his  heart, 
on  which  he  had  inscribed,  "  God  bless  President  Lincoln." 

At  another  time  there  were  twenty-four  deserters  sentenced 
to  be  shot,  and  the  warrants  for  their  execution  were  sent  to 
the  President  to  be  signed.  He  refused,  and  the  general  of  the 
division  went  to  Washington  to  see  Mr.  Lincoln.  At  the  inter- 
view he  said  to  the  President  that  unless  these  men  were  made 
an  example  of,  the  army  itself  would  be  in  danger.  Mercy  to 
the  few  is  cruelty  to  the  many.  But  Mr.  Lincoln  replied: 
"  There  are  already  too  many  weeping  widows  in  the  United 
States.  For  God's  sake  don't  ask  me  to  add  to  the  number,  for 
I  won't  do  it." 

On  another  occasion  a  young  soldier  had  fallen  out  of  ranks 
when  his  regiment  passed  through  Washington,  and  getting 
d'unk  failed  to  join  his  regiment  when  it  left  the  city.  To  the 
i'ri'-nd  who  came  to  secure  a  pardon,  Mr.  Lincoln  said :  '  Well, 
I  think  the  boy  can  do  us  more  good  above  ground  than  under 
ground,"  and  he  wrote  out  the  pardon. 

In  all  such  cases  as  the  above,  where  the  ordinary  human 
weakness  was  the  motive,  Mr.  Lincoln's  heart  was  tender  as  a 
woman's,  but  to  prove  that  he  could  entertain  no  sympathy  for 
a  cool,  deliberate,  mercenary  crime,  he  was  approached  by  the 
Hon.  John  B.  Alley,  of  Massachusetts,  one  day,  with  a  petition 
for  the  pardon  of  a  man  who  had  been  convicted  of  engaging  in 
the  slave  trade,  and  sentenced  to  five  years'  imprisonment  and 
the  payment  of  a  fine  of  one  thousand  dollars.  His  term  of  im- 
prisonment had  expired,  but  in  default  of  payment  of  the  fine, 
he  was  still  held.  In  answer  to  the  appeal  for  pardon  Mr.  Lin- 


204  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

coin  said  :  "  You  know  my  weakness  is  to  be,  if  possible,  too 
easily  moved  by  appeals  for  mercy,  and  if  this  man  were  guilty 
of  the  foulest  murder  that  the  arm  of  man  could  perpetrate,  I 
might  forgive  him  on  such  an  appeal ;  but  the  man  who  would 
go  to  Africa  and  rob  her  of  her  children,  and  sell  them  into  an 
interminable  bondage  with  no  other  motive  than  that  which  is 
furnished  by  dollars  and  cents,  is  so  much  worse  than  the  most 
depraved  murderer,  that  he  can  never  receive  pardon  at  my 
hands.  No,  he  may  rot  in  jail  before  he  shall  have  liberty  by 
any  act  of  mine." 

Upon  another  occasion  the  wife  of  a  rebel  officer,  held  as  a 
prisoner  of  war,  begged  for  the  release  of  her  husband,  and  to 
strengthen  her  appeal  said  that  he  was  a  very  religious  man. 
In  granting  the  release  of  her  husband,  Mr.  Lincoln  said:  "  Tell 
your  husband  when  you  meet  him  that  I  am  not  much  of  a 
judge  of  religion,  but  that  in  my  opinion  the  religion  that  sets 
men  to  rebel  and  fight  against  their  government  because  they 
tbink  that  government  does  not  sufficiently  help  some  men  to  eat 
their  bread  in  the  sweat  of  other  men's  faces,  is  not  the  sort  of 
religion  upon  which  men  can  get  to  heaven." 

One  day  news  of  a  great  battle  in  progress  reached  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, and  his  anxiety  was  so  great  that  he  could  eat  nothing. 
Soon  after  he  was  seen  to  take  a  Bible  and  retire  to  his  room, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  he  was  overheard  in  one  of  the  most  ear- 
nest prayers  for  the  success  of  our  arms.  Later  in  the  day  a 
Union  victory  was  announced,  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  with  a  beam- 
ing face,  exclaimed:  "  Good  news  !  good  news  !  The  victory  is 
ours,  and  God  is  good." 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  as  simple  and  unassuming  in  his  manner 
and  habits  in  the  Presidential  position  in  the  White  House  as  if 
he  were  in  his  Western  home.  ' '  If  you  see  a  newsboy  down 
the  street,  send  him  up  this  way,"  said  he  one  morning  to  a 
passer-by,  as  he  stood  at  the  gate  waiting  for  a  morning  paper. 
He  persisted  in  walking  the  streets  of  Washington  both  day 
and  night  unaccompanied,  notwithstanding  the  warning  of  his 
friends  against  exposing  himself  to  danger.  It  was  to  him 
arways  a  gleam  of  sunshine  through  the  clouds  of  war  to  meet 
his  old  Western  friends  and  talk  over  old  times.  It  was  plainly 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLK.  295 

to  be  seen  that  he  was  wearing  out.  The  care  and  anxiety  were 
too  much  for  human  endurance.  ' '  How  willingly  would  I  ex- 
change places  to-day  with  the  soldier  who  sleeps  on  the  ground 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,"  said  he  one  day  to  the  Hon. 
Schuyler  Colfax.  At  another  time  he  said  to  a  visitor:  "I  feel 
a  presentiment  that  I  shall  not  outlast  the  rebellion.  When  it 
is  over  my  work  will  be  done." 

At  the  Republican  Convention  held  in  Baltimore  on  the  8th 
of  June,  1864,  Mr.  Lincoln,  upon  the  first  ballot,  received  every 
vote  except  twenty -two  from  Missouri,  which  were  cast  for 
General  Grant,  but  on  motion  of  the  Missouri  delegation  the 
nomination  was  made  unanimous.  To  the  committee  that 
waited  upon  Mr.  Lincoln  to  inform  him  of  his  nomination  he 
said  : 

"  Having  served  four  years  in  the  depths  of  a  great  and  yet  unended  na- 
tional peril,  I  can  view  this  call  to  a  second  term  in  nowise  more  flattering 
to  myself  than  as  an  expression  of  the  public  judgment  that  I  may  better 
finish  a  difficult  work,  in  which  I  have  labored  from  the  first,  than  could 
any  one  less  severely  schooled  to  the  task.  In  this  view,  and  with  assured 
reliance  on  that  Almighty  Ruler  who  has  so  graciously  sustained  us  thus 
far,  and  with  increased  gratitude  to  the  generous  people  for  their  con- 
tinued confidence.  I  accept  the  renewed  trust,  with  its  yet  onerous  and  per- 
plexing duties  and  responsibilities." 

The  election  resulted  in  giving  Mr.  Lincoln  an  overwhelming 
majority  over  General  McClellan,  the  Democratic  candidate, 
Mr.  Lincoln  having  received  212  electoral  votes  out  of  the  total 
233,  and  a  popular  majority  in  every  State  except  Kentucky, 
Delaware  and  New  Jersey. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  re-election  was  a  grand  triumph  for  the  Union 
cause,  for  it  destroyed  the  hope  of  the  rebellion,  and  so  com- 
pletely silenced  the  disaffected  elements  of  the  Northern  States 
that  it  greatly  strengthened  the  hands  of  the  army,  and  in- 
spired them  with  greater  confidence  and  determination  to  crush 
out  the  rebellion. 

From  this  date  the  military  operations  were  marked  with 
great  energy  and  signal  success.  While  General  Grant  was 
sweeping  Lee  from  his  old  lines  on  the  Potomac,  General  Sher- 
man was  beginning  his  grand  march  to  the  sea  that  practically 
<;ut  the  ^ebellion  in  two. 


296  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

On  the  5th  of  December  Congress  again  met,  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
sent  in  his  annual  message,  in  which  he  urged  the  passage  of 
an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  prohibiting  slavery  through- 
out the  United  States.  A  similar  measure  had  been  defeated  at 
the  previous  session,  but  Mr.  Lincoln  saw  that  the  country  was 
more  favorable  to  the  movement.  His  re-election  and  the  suc- 
cesses of  the  army  had  greatly  changed  public  opinion.  The 
result  of  the  President's  earnest  suggestion  resulted  in  the  pass- 
age of  the  sought-for  amendment  to  the  Constitution  abolish- 
ing slavery  in  all  the  States.  The  popularity  of  the  measure  is 
proven  by  the  fact  that  it  received  more  than  the  two-thirds 
vote  necessary  for  its  passage. 

To  Mr.  Lincoln  this  seemed  the  crowning  work  of  his  life,  and 
in  expressing  his  great  gratification  at  the  result,  he  uttered 
the  sentiment  that  it  was  the  one  thing  necessary  to  the  wind- 
ing up  of  the  whole  difficulty,  and  that  it  completed  and  con- 
firmed the  work  of  his  Emancipation  Proclamation,  and  he 
awaited  only  its  ratification  by  the  votes  of  the  States. 

On  the  3d  of  March  Congress  adjourned,  at  which  time  Mr. 
Lincoln's  first  term  of  office  expired.  The  changes  had  indeed 
been  great  during  the  four  years  since  he  had  taken  his  seat. 
Four  years  of  one  of  the  greatest  wars  in  human  history  had 
been  fought,  which  was  rapidly  sweeping  the  rebellion  into 
hopeless  defeat,  and  the  peculiar  institution  it  was  inaugurated 
to  sustain  into  inevitable  dissolution.  Since  his  first  inaugura- 
tion Mr.  Lincoln  had  proven  himself  one  of  the  greatest  states- 
men of  this  or  any  other  age,  and  he  stood  sublime  before  the 
world  as  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  of  human  kind  ;  and 
yet  the  simplicity  and  modesty  which  characterized  him  at  his 
first  inaugural  marked  his  demeanor  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
second.  His  inaugural  address  closed  with  that  noble  and 
memorable  sentiment  :  "  With  malice  toward  none,  with 
cnaiity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to 
see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in,  to 
bind  up  the  nation's  wounds,  to  care  for  him  who  shall  have 
borne  the  battle  and  for  his  widow  and  orphans,  to  do  all  which 
may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  lasting  peace  among  our- 
selves and  with  all  nations." 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  297 

It  was  but  a  short  time  after  this  before  the  rebellion  was  on 
the  eve  of  its  final  collapse.  General  Sherman,  after  his  march 
to  the  sea,  had  started  North  with  his  irresistible  force,  and  was 
indeed  making  the  rebellious  States  feel  the  iron  heel  of  war. 
General  Johnston  was  fleeing  northward,  while  General  Grant 
was  holding  JLee  in  Richmond  in  an  almost  helpless  condition. 
On  the  29th  of  March  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  began  the  grand 
march  which  so  soon  resulted  in  the  surrender  of  Lee  and  the 
end  of  the  rebellion. 

It  was  to  Mr.  Lincoln  one  of  the  greatest  rewards  of  his  years 
of  labor,  to  enter  the  rebel  capital  as  soon  as  it  was  occupied  by 
our  troops  and  receive  from  the  joyful  crowds  of  liberated 
blacks  their  humble  expressions  of  thankfulness  and  praise. 
"Glory  to  God!"  "Bless  de  Lord!"  and  "May  de  good  Lord 
bless  you,  President  Linkum!"  were  the  excited  ejaculations  he 
heard  on  every  side  as  the  happy  people  crowded  around  him. 

With  Johnston's  surrender  the  rebellion  was  ended,  and  the 
greatest  rejoicing  spread  over  the  entire  country,  and  the  uni- 
versal praise  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  upon  every  tongue.  The 
grandest  results  had  been  realized  from  his  measures  and  acts. 
The  curse  of  rebellion  had  been  swept  away,  and  the  stain  of 
African  slavery  had  been  wiped  from  American  institutions. 

On  the  subject  of  reconstruction  he  said  in  a  previous 
letter:  " -I  cannot  see,  if  universal  amnesty  is  granted,  how 
under  the  circumstances  I  can  avoid  exacting  in  return  uni- 
versal suffrage,  or  at  least  suffrage  on  the  basis  of  intelligence 
and  military  service." 

We  are  now  rapidly  approaching  the  sad  and  tragic  end  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  life.  Although  he  knew  that  plots  for  his  assas- 
sination were  originated  from  the  day  he  left  Springfield  for 
his  inauguration,  and  although  he  had  often  predicted  that  he 
would  not  outlast  the  rebellion,  still  it  is  probable,  when  the 
war  had  ended  and  he  had  survived  it,  that  he  gave  no  further 
thought  to  assassination,  and  felt  a  relief  that  danger  from 
violence  was  ended. 

The  eventful  14th  of  April  dawned  upon  Washington,  and 
found  Mr.  Lincoln  busy  with  his  friends.  General  Grant  was 
in  the  city,  and  had  been  invited  to  attend  the  Cabinet  meeting 


298  LIVES  OF  OtJR  PRESIDENTS. 

held  upon  that  day.  On  the  day  previous  the  manager  of 
Ford's  Theatre  had  invited  Mr.  Lincoln  and  General  Grant  to 
be  present  at  the  performance  on  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  the 
play  of  "Our  American  Cousin,"  and  the  announcement  of 
their  intended  presence  was  made  in  the  Washington  papers 
for  the  purpose  of  drawing  a  crowd. 

General  Grant  left  the  city  during  the  day,  and  Mr.  Lincoln, 
realizing  that  it  would  be  a  great  disappointment  to  the  people 
if  he  also  failed  to  attend,  decided  to  go,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lincoln  drove  to  the  house  of  Senator  Harris  for  his  daughter, 
Miss  Harris,  and  Major  Rathbone,  a  son  of  the  Senator's  wife. 
The  party  reached  the  theatre  at  a  little  before  nine  o'clock,  and 
as  they  passed  to  their  private  box  the  entire  audience  rose  to 
their  feet  and  enthusiastically  cheered  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his 
party. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  John  Wilkes  Booth,  a  disloyal 
actor  well  known  in  Washington,  began  to  perfect  his  plot 
for  the  assassination  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  secured  a  fleet  horse, 
which  he  secreted  during  the  day,  and  at  night  rode  to  Ford's 
Theatre.  Dismounting,  he  quietly  worked  his  way  through 
the  crowd,  and  entered  the  box  occupied  by  the  Presidential 
party.  Drawing  a  pistol,  the  assassin  instantly  aimed  at  the 
back  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  head,  and  fired  the  fatal  bullet  into  his 
brain.  In  the  great  confusion  that  followed,  Booth  sprang 
upon  the  stage,  and,  shouting  in  a  theatrical  tone,  "  Sic  semper 
tyrannis,"  he  rushed  with  a  brandished  dagger  through  the 
stage  entrance  to  his  horse  and  fled  from  the  city. 

Mr.  Lincoln  never  moved  after  being  shot,  but  passed  into 
immediate  unconsciousness,  from  which  he  rallied,  but 
breathed  his  last  at  twenty-two  minutes  past  seven  the  next 
morning,  surrounded  by  his  weeping  family  and  friends,  whom 
he  had  never  recognized  after  the  cruel  lead  had  entered  his 
brain. 

During  the  terrible  scene  in  the  theatre  another  part  of  the 
plan  of  assassination  was  being  enacted  in  the  city.  Mr. 
Seward  had  but  recently  been  thrown  from  his  carriage,  and 
was  suffering  in  bed  from  a  broken  jaw,  when  a  man  named 
Powell  (or  Payne),  another  one  of  the  conspirators,  pushed  his 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  299 

way  into  Mr.  Seward's  house,  and  after  Knocking  down  Mr. 
Frederick  Seward,  the  Secretary's  son,  he  sprang  upon  the  bed 
of  Mr.  Seward  and  stabbed  him  three  times  in  the  throat.  He 
was  prevented  by  the  nurse,  a  soldier,  from  killing  the  Secre- 
tary, and  stabbing  the  nurse,  Payne  broke  away  and  escaped 
after  attempting  the  lives  of  other  members  of  the  household. 

General  Grant,  Vice-President  Johnson  and  others  were 
marked  for  assassination  also,  but  providentially  escaped. 

Language  cannot  express  the  distressing  effect  of  this  cruel 
assassination.  The  most  profound  demonstrations  of  grief 
were  exhibited  throughout  the  land.  The  entire  country  was 
a  continuous  drapery  of  the  sombre  emblems  of  mourning,  and 
tolling  bells  and  solemn  funeral  services  everywhere  marked 
the  universal  sorrow  of  the  people.  Men  met  each  other  with 
low  and  solemn  voices  and  tearful  eyes ;  puch  a  universal 
lamentation  went  up  throughout  the  land  as  had  never  before 
been  witnessed,  and  perhaps  will  never  be  again.  Messages  of 
condolence  were  sent  from  almost  every  nation  on  the  earth, 
and  all  the  world  looked  on  the  deed  with  horror. 

To  the  conquered  South  his  death  was  a  dire  calamity  when 
they  so  much  needed  his  magnanimity,  and  those  engaged  in  the 
rebellion  who  may  have  planned  or  connived  at  the  assassina- 
tion regretted  it  when  too  late. 

On  the  following  Wednesday  the  funeral  service  took  place 
at  the  White  House,  which  had  been  thrown  open  on  the  day 
previous  for  the  vast  crowd  of  mourners  to  view  the  embalmed 
body.  The  funeral  services  were  very  solemn  and  impressive,  and 
the  procession  which  accompanied  the  remains  from  the  White 
House  to  the  Capitol  was  the  largest  and  most  impressive  ever 
seen  in  Washington. 

During  these  funeral  services  in  the  national  Capitol,  similar 
obsequies  were  performed  and  funeral  services  and  orations  de- 
livered throughout  the  entire  country. 

After  lying  in  state  in  the  Capitol  for  a  suitable  time,  the 
funeral  train  left  Washington  on  the  21st  of  April  for  Spring- 
field, where  Mr.  Lincoln  was  to  be  buried. 

Never  before  had  the  country  witne?sed  such  a  solemn  and 
imposing  sight  as  the  immense  funqral  procession  a,nd  crowd 


800  LIVES    OF  OITR  PRESIDENTS. 

which  gathered  around  the  train  and  marched  through  every 
city  and  village,  literally  reaching  from  Washington  to  Spring- 
field. 

A  touching  incident  of  the  funeral  journey  was  the  accom- 
panying of  Mr.  Lincoln's  remains  by  the  coffin  and  molder- 
ing  body  of  his  little  Willie,  whose  dust  was  to  be  laid  by  his 
side  in  the  cemetery  of  their  old  home. 

The  remains  of  the  martyred  President  were  viewed  by  im- 
mense crowds  in  procession  in  every  city  on  the  route,  and. 


THE  TOMB   OF  LINCOLN. 

from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours  in  the  largest  cities  the 
ceaseless  throngs  day  and  night  passed  by  the  coffin  to  catch  a 
single  sight  of  the  face  of  one  of  earth's  greatest  dead. 

At  Chicago  the  people  received  his  remains  as  their  own,  and 
the  Chicago  Tribune  gave  him  this  beautiful  tribute: 

"  He  comes  back  to  us,  his  work  finished,  the  republic  vindicated,  its 
enemies  overthrown',  suin?  for  peace .  He  left  us.  asking  that  the  prayers 
of  the  people  might  bo  offered  to  Almighty  God  for  wisdom  and  help  to  see 
the  right  path  and  pursue  it.  Those  prayers  were  answered.  He  accom- 
plished his  work,  and  now  the  prayers  of  the  people  ascend  for  help  to  bear 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  301 

the  great  affliction  which  has  fallen  upon  them.  Slain  as  no  other  man  has 
been  slain,  cut  down  while  interposing  his  great  charity  and  mercy  between 
the  wrath  of  the  people  and  guilty  traitors,  the  people  of  Chicago  tenderly 
receive  the  sacred  ashes  with  bowed  heads  and  streaming  eyes." 

At  last  the  earthly  journey  was  over  and  the  mortal  remains 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  had  reached  Springfield  to  rest  among  his  old 
friends  and  neighbors,  where  the  last  and  most  touching  of  all 
the  funeral  rites  were  performed.  There,  surrounded  by  his 
weeping  neighbors,  they  laid  him  away  to  sleep  after  his  work 
was  done. 


ANDREW  JOHNSON. 


There  is  scarcely  another  instance  on  record  of  the  ruler  of  a 
great  people  having  risen  to  that  sublime  height  from  so  lowly  an 
origin  as  did  the  subject  of  our  biography.  Poverty  is  no  dis- 
grace, but  a  great  inconvenience,  and  it  was  certainly  no 
exception  to  the  rule  iu  the  case  of  Andrew  Johnson. 

He  was  born  at  Raleigh,  N.  C  ,  on  the  29th  of  December, 
1808.  His  parents  occupied  the  humblest  position  of  respecta- 
ble poverty,  and  their  lives  were  so  full  of  deprivation  and 
hardship  that  there  seemed  to  be  no  prospect  ahead  in  life  for 
their  only  child.  To  make  the  outlook  more  gloomy  still  for 
little  Andrew,  when  he  was  five  years  old  his  father  lost  his 
life  in  saving  the  editor  of  the  Raleigh  Gazette  from  drowning. 
After  this  he  ran  the  streets  a  ragged,  barefoot  boy,  with  only 
his  poor,  hard-working  mother  to  care  for  him  and  provide  his 
meagre  food  and  shelter.  At  ten  years  of  age  it  became  neces- 
sary that  he  should  prepare  to  earn  his  own  living  and  help  to 
support  his  mother.  He  was  accordingly  apprenticed  to  a  tailor. 

As  he  had  never  at  this  age,  nor  in  fact  at  any  future  period 
of  his  life,  attended  school  a  single  day,  he  could  neither  read 
nor  write.  But  for  all  the  lack  of  advantages,  he  had  a  yearn- 
ing after  knowledge,  and  indicated  a  strong  determination  to 
pick  up  all  the  information  possible.  He  was  fortunate  at  this 
time  in  receiving  the  kind  attentions  of  a  gentleman  in  Raleigh, 
who,  in  accordance  with  the  social  customs  of  small  places,  was 
accustomed  to  spend  much  of  his  time  in  the  tailor  shop  read- 
ing aloud  while  the  men  were  at  work.  This  visitor  frequently 
read  from  a  book  of  speeches,  which  deeply  interested  young 
Johnson,  and  he  resolved  that  he  would  learn  to  read.  Slowly, 
by  the  assistance  of  the  journeymen  tailors,  he  learned  the 
alphabet.  At  this  stage  of  his  education  the  gentleman  kindly 


LIVES   OF  OUR   PRESIDEJvTS. 


made  him  a  present  of  the  book  of  speeches,  and  gave  him  some 
instruction  in  spelling,  which  was  of  great  assistance  to  the 
boy. 

At  last  he  could  read,  and  new  interests  in  life  opened  to  the 
poor  hoy.  Many  a  night  he  burned  the  midnight  oil,  or,  more 
appropriately  for  the  time  and  locality,  the  tallow  candle,  in  his 
search  for  the  wonderful  things  to  be  found  in  books. 


BIRTHPLACE   OP  ANDREW  JOHNSON  AT  RALEIGH 


In  1824  his  apprenticeship  expired,  and  he  stepped  out  into  the 
world  with  only  his  trade  to  rely  upon.  For  the  next  two  years 
he  worked  at  Laurens  Court  House,  S.  C. ,  as  a  journeyman  tailor, 
and  it  is  said  that  during  this  time  he  came  near  losing  his 
heart;  but  rhe  poor,  friendless  stranger  was  not  encouraged  by 
the  young  lady  or  her  parents. 

Returning  to  Raleigh,  he  soon  decided  upon  moving  to 
Tennessee,  and,  taking  his  mother  with  him,  he  settled  in 
Greenville,  where  he  readily  found  work  at  his  trade  which 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  805 

comfortably  supported  himself  and  his  mother.  In  a  short 
time  he  married  an  estimable  young  lady  of  good  education, 
who  proved  to  him  one  of  the  noblest  of  helpmeets,  for  under 
the  impulse  of  love  she  taught  him  how  to  write  and  also  the 
science  of  arithmetic,  beside  other  branches  of  a  common  edu- 
cation, until  his  advantages  were  equal  to  those  of  the  average 
mechanic.  But  he  did  not  pause  here;  ambition  led  him 
higher,  and  he  soon  became  a  leader  of  the  workingmen.  This 
resulted  in  his  election  to  the  office  of  alderman  when  he  was 
only  twenty  years  of  age. 

Soon  after  this  he  joined  a  debating  society  connected  with 
Greenville  College,  where  he  soon  distinguished  himself  by  his 
oratory  until  he  was  termed  ''  the  village  Demosthenes." 

In  1830  Mr.  Johnson  was  chosen  Mayor  of  Greenville,  which 
prominent  position  be  held  for  three  terms. 

Almost  his  first  step  into  political  life  was  in  espousing  the 
principles  of  Andrew  Jackson  against  nullification. 

The  next  honor  bestowed  upon  Mr.  Johnson  was  his  election 
by  the  County  Court  as  a  trustee  of  Rhea  Academy.  In  1835 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  as  a  Democrat.  Here 
he  attracted  attention  to  his  sound  principles  by  his  opposition 
to  a  scheme  of  internal  improvements  which  would  have  in- 
volved the  State  in  debt  to  the  amount  of  some  four  million 
dollars.  This  opposition  caused  his  defeat  at  the  next  election 
in  1837,  but  in  1839  his  prediction  had  come  true,  and  the  public 
improvement  scheme  had  become  so  unpopular  that  Mr. 
Johnson  was  again  returned  to  the  Legislature. 

In  1840  Mr.  Johnson  canvassed  East  Tennessee  in  favor  of  Mr. 
Van  Buren,  the  Democratic  candidate,  who  was  running  for 
the  Presidency  in  opposition  to  General  Harrison. 

In  1841  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  to  represent 
Hawkins  and  Green  counties,  in  which  position  he  so  ably 
acquitted  himself  that  in  1843  he  was  elected  to  Congress, 
where  he  continued  to  represent  the  district  for  ten  years. 
His  first  action  in  tlie  the  Twenty-eighth  Congress  was  to 
advocate  the  restoration  of  the  fine  imposed  upon  General 
Jackson  in  New  Orleans  for  having  placed  that  city  under 
martial  law  in  1814,  We  next  find  him  in  the  ranks  of  the 


306  UVES    OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS 

friends  of  Texan  annexation.  On  these  questions  he  made  able 
speeches,  and  distinguished  himself  to  the  extent  that  he  was 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  rising  men  of  the  country.  At  all 
times  he  was  the  friend  and  champion  of  labor. 

In  1853  Mr.  Johnson  was  elected  Governor  of  Tennessee.  To 
this  position  he  was  again  elected  in  1855,  his  opponent  being 
Meredith  P.  Gentry. 

It  is  well  known  that  party  politics  ran  hot  in  those  days, 
and  that  often  where  arguments  failed,  ruffians  were  ready  to 
threaten  with  the  pistol  and  the  bowie-knife.  As  an  evidence 
of  Mr.  Johnson's  remarkable  courage,  it  is  related  that  upon 
one  occasion,  when  he  was  to  speak  on  an  exciting  subject, 
threats  were  made  that  he  should  not  leave  the  hall  alive  if  he 
persisted  in  making  a  speech.  Stepping  upon  the  platform  at 
the  appointed  time,  Mr.  Johnson  drew  his  pistol,  and  laying  it 
on  the  desk,  said  : 

"  Fellow-citizens,  it  is  proper  when  freemen  assemble  for  the 
discussion  of  important  public  interests  that  everything  should 
be  done  decently  and  in  order.  I  have  been  informed  that  part 
of  the  business  to  be  transacted  on  the  present  occasion  is  the 
assassination  of  the  individual  who  now  has  the  honor  of  ad- 
dressing you.  I  beg  respectfully  to  propose  that  this  be  the 
first  business  in  order.  Therefore,  if  any  man  has  come  here 
to-night  for  the  purpos%  indicated,  I  do  not  say  to  him,  let  him 
speak,  but  let  him  shoot." 

Holding  his  pistol  in  his  hand,  he  then  waited  for  the  shoot- 
ing to  begin.  It  had  evidently  been  postpone  d,  and  after  a 
short  pause  he  said:  "  Gentlemen,  it  appears  that  I  have  been 
misinformed.  I  will  now  proceed  to  address  you  on  the  subject 
that  has  called  us  together  ;"  and  without  further  digression  he 
proceeded  with  his  speech. 

After  his  second  term  as  Governor  of  the  State  expired,  he 
was  in  1857  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate  for  the 
full  term  of  six  years. 

Almost  his  first  act  was  to  advocate  the  Homestead  Bill,  by 
which  every  citizen,  the  head  of  a  family,  could  secure  a  home 
from  the  public  lands.  In  Mr.  Johnson's  great  speech  on  the 
bill,  he  took  occasion  to  reply  to  remarks  made  by  Mr.  Ham- 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  307 

mond,  of  South  Carolina,  in  which  he  had  denned  the  laboring 
classes  as  the  mud-sills  of  society,  and  that  the  white  laborers 
of  the  North,  who  worked  for  stipulated  wages,  were  after  all 
only  slaves  like  the  negroes  of  the  South,  "  the  difference  only 
being,"  said  Mr.  Hammond,  "  that  our  slaves  are  hired  for  life, 
yours  are  hired  by  the  day." 

During  Mr.  Johnson's  reply  to  this  false  theory,  Mr.  Hammond 
asked  him  to  define  a  slave.  Mr.  Johnson  replied  : 

"What  we  understand  to  be  a  slave  in  the  South  is  a  man 
who  is  held  during  his  natural  life  subject  to  and  under  the  con- 
trol of  a  master.  The  necessities  of  life,  and  the  various  posi- 
tions in  which  a  man  may  be  placed,  operated  upon  by  avarice, 
gain  or  ambition,  may  cause  him  to  labor  ;  but  that  does  not 
make  him  a  slave.  If  we  were  to  go  back  and  follow  out  this 
idea  that  every  operative  and  laborer  is  a  slave,  we  should  find 
that  we  have  had  a  great  many  distinguished  slaves  since  the 
world  commenced.  Socrates,  who  first  conceived  the  idea  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  pagan  as  he  was,  labored  with  his 
own  hands,  yes,  wielded  the  chisel  and  the  mallet.  Paul,  the 
great  expounder,  was  a  tent-maker,  and  worked  with  his  hands; 
was  he  a  slave  ?" 

Thus  Mr.  Johnson  always  stood  upon  the  side  of  labor  ;  always 
t  spoused  and  defended  the  cause  which  to  him  indicated  the 
wants  and  interests  of  the  people.  He  felt  that  he  was  a  legis- 
lator, not  a  politician,  and  believed  it  his  duty  to  devote  his  whole 
time  and  talents  to  the  public  good. 

On  the  subject  of  slavery  he  recognized  it  as  an  existing  insti- 
tution under  the  Constitution,  and  he  believed  that  slavery  had 
its  foundation  and  would  find  its  perpetuity  alone  in  the  Union. 
But  while  giving  this  support  to  the  institution,  his  independent 
action  on  several  occasions  laid  him  under  the  charge  of  anti- 
slavery  sentiments.  Upon  one  occasion,  when  the  State  of  Ten- 
nessee was  to  be  reapportioned  into  Congressional  Districts, 
Mr.  Johnson  introduced  the  following  resolutions  in  the  State 
Legislature : 

"  Resolved,  By  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  that  the 
basis  to  be  observed  in  laying  the  State  off  into  Congressional  district*  shall 


308  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

be  the  voting  population  without  any  regard  to  the  three-fifths  of  the  negro 
population. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  and  eighty-three 
voters  shall  be  divided  by  eleven,  and  that  each  eleventh  of  the  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  and  eighty -three  voters  shall  be  entitled  to  one  member 
in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  or  as  near  as  may  be  practicable  with- 
out a  division  of  counties." 

To  sum  up  Mr.  Johnson's  position,  he  stood  by  slavery  until  it 
organized  itself  against  the  government,  and  then  he  stood  up 
for  the  government,  and  gave  his  earnest  support  to  the  over- 
throw of  the  institution. 

Mr.  Johnson  had  never  been  conspicuous  for  loud  praise  and 
oratorical  effusion  in  reference  to  the  glorious  Union  and  the 
institutions  of  our  forefathers  and  the  proud  bird  of  freedom. 
He  had  never  believed  the  Union  in  danger,  but  from  the  day 
that  secession  flaunted  its  threats  in  the  face  of  the  government 
he  sprang  with  patriotic  zeal  to  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  ar- 
rayed himself  with  defiance  against  the  disunionists.  He  was 
violently  opposed  to  secession,  and  insisted  that  the  rights  of  the 
South  could  only  be  maintained  in  the  Union.  In  his  great 
speech  of  the  18th  and  19th  of  December,  1860,  he  made  use  of 
the  following  unanswerable  argument : 

"  Now  let  me  ask,  Can  any  one  believe  that  in  th*  creation  of  this  Govern- 
ment its  founders  intended  that  it  should  have  the  power  to  acquire  territory 
and  form  it  into  States,  and  then  permit  them  to  go  out  of  the  Union  ?  Let 
us  take  a  ca^e.  How  long  has  it  been  since  your  armies  were  in  Mexico, 
your  brave  men  exposed  to  the  diseases,  the  sufferings  incident  to  a  cam- 
paign of  that  kind;  many  of  them  falling  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  con- 
signed to  the  long,  narrow  home,  with  no  winding  sheet  but  their  blankets 
saturated  with  their  blood  ?  What  did  Mexico  cost  you  ?  One  hundred  and 
twenty  million  dollars.  What  did  you  pay  for  the  country  you  acquired, 
besides  ?  Fifteen  million  dollars.  Peace  was  made,  territory  was  acquired, 
and  in  a  few  years  California  from  that  territory  erected  herself  into  a  free 
and  independent  State.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution  we  admit 
ted  her  as  a  member  of  this  confederacy.  And  now,  after  having  expended 
one  hundred  and  twenty  million  dollars  in  the  war;  after  having  lost  many 
of  our  bravest  and  most  gallant  men;  after  having  paid  fifteen  million  dol- 
lars to  Mexico  for  the  territory,  and  admitted  it  into  tbe  Union  as  a  State, 
according  to  this  modern  doctrine,  the  National  Government  was  just  made 
to  let  them  step  in  and  then  to  let  them  step  out  1  Is  it  not  absurd  to  say 
that  California,  on  her  own  volition,  without  regard  to  the  censideration  paid 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  30d 

for  her,  without  regard  to  the  policy  which  dictated  her  acquisition  by  the 
United  States,  can  walk  out  and  bid  defiance  ? 

4 'But  we  need  not  stop  here.  Let  us  go  to  Texas.  Texas  was  engaged  in  a 
revolution  with  Mexioo.  She  succeeded  in  the  assertion  and  establishment 
of  her  independence.  She  applied  for  admission  into  the  family  of  States. 
After  she  was  in  she  was  oppressed  by  the  debts  of  the  war  which  had  re- 
sulted in  her  separation  from  Mexico.  She  was  harassed  by  Indians  on 
her  border.  There  was  an  extent  of  territory  that  lies  north,  if  my  memory 
serves  me  right,  embracing  what  is  now  called  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico. 
Texas  had  it  not  in  her  power  to  protect  the  citizens  that  were  there.  It  was 
a  dead  limb,  paralyzed,  lifeless. 

"The  Federal  Government  came  along  as  a  kind  physician,  saying, 'We 
will  take  this  limb,  vitalize  it  by  giving  protection  to  the  people,  and  incor- 
porating it  into  a  territorial  government ;  and  in  addition  to  that  we  will 
give  you  ten  million  dollars  and  you  may  retain  your  own  public  lands.' 
And  the  other  States  were  taxed  to  pay  this  ten  million  dollars.  Now  after 
all  this  is  done  is  Texas  to  say,  '  I  will  walk  out  of  this  Union'  ?  Were  there 
no  other  parties  to  this  compact  ?  Did  we  take  in  California,  did  we  take  in 
Texas,  just  to  benefit  themselves  ? 

"  Again,  take  the  case  of  Louisiana.  What  did  we  pay  for  her  in  1803,  and 
for  what  was  she  wanted  ?  Was  it  just  to  let  Louisiana  into  the  Union  ? 
Was  it  just  for  the  benefit  of  that  particular  locality  ?  Was  not  the  mighty 
West  looked  to  f  Was  it  not  to  secure  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  the  mouth  of  which  was  then  in  the  possession  of  France  ?  Yes,  the 
navigation  of  that  river  was  wanted.  Simply  for  Louisiana  ?  No,  but  for  all  the 
States.  The  United  States  paid  fifteen  million  dollars,  and  France  ceded 
the  country  to  the  United  States.  It  remained  in  a  territorial  condition  for  a 
while,  sustained  and  protected  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  Federal  Government. 
We  acquired  the  territory  and  the  navigation  of  the  river,  and  the  money 
was  paid  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  States  and  not  of  Louisiana  exclusively. 

"And  now  that  this  great  valley  is  filled  up,  now  that  the  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi  is  one  hundred  times  more  important  than  it  was  then;  now, 
after  the  United  States  have  paid  the  money,  have  acquired  the  title  to 
Louisiana,  and  have  incorporated  her  into  the  confederacy,  it  is  proposed 
that  she  should  go  out  of  the  Union . 

"In  1815,  when  her  shores  were  invaded;  when  her  city  was  about  to  be 
sacked;  when  her  booty  and  beauty  were  about  to  fall  a  prey  to  British  ag- 
gression, the  brave  men  of  Tennessee  and  of  Kentucky,  and  of  the  surround- 
ing States,  rushed  into  her  borders  and  upon  her  shores,  and  under  the  lead 
of  our  own  gallant  Jackson,  drove  the  invading  forces  away.  And  now  after 
all  this,  after  the  money  has  been  paid,  after  the  free  navigation  of  that 
river  has  been  obt  inecl,  not  for  the  benefit  of  Louisiana  alone,  but  for  her 
in  common  with  all  the  States,  Louisiana  says  to  the  other  States: 

"  '  We  will  go  out  of  this  confederacy.  We  do  not  care  if  you  did  fight 
our  battles;  we  do  not  care  if  you  did  acquire  the  free  navigation  of  this 
river  from  France;  we  will  go  out  and  constitute  ourselves  an  independent 
power,  and  bid  defiance  to  the  other  States.' 


310  LHHES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


"  It  may  be  that  at  this  moment  there  is  not  a  citizen  in  the  State  of 
Louisiana  who  would  think  of  obstructing  the  free  navigation  of  the  river. 
But  are  not  nations  controlled  by  their  interests  in  varying  circumstances  ? 
And  hereafter  when  a  conflict  of  interest  arises.  Louisiana  might  fee)  disposed 
to  tax  our  citizens  going  down  there  It  is  a  power  that  I  am  not  willing  to 
concede  to  be  exercised  at  the  discretion  of  any  authority  outside  of  this 
Government.  So  sensitive  have  been  the  people  of  my  State  upon  the  free 
navigation  of  that  river,  that  as  far  back  as  1796— now  sixty-four  years  ago— 
in  their  bill  of  rights,  before  they  passed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
United  States,  they  declared: 

" '  That  an  equal  participation  of  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  is 
one  of  the  inherent  rights  of  the  citizens  of  this  State.  It  cannot,  therefore, 
be  conceded  to  any  prince,  potentate,  power,  person  or  persons  whatever.' 

"  This  shows  the  estimate  that  people  fixed  upon  this  stream  sixty -four 
years  ago;  and  now  we  are  told  that  if  Louisiana  does  go  out,  it  is  not  her  in- 
tention to  tax  the  people  above.  Who  can  tell  what  may  be  the  intention  of 
Louisiana  hereafter  ?  Are  we  willing  to  place  the  rights,  the  travel,  and  the 
commerce  of  our  citizens  at  the  discretion  of  any  power  outside  of  this  gov- 
ernment ?  I  will  not. 

"  How  long  is  it  siuce  Florida  lay  on  our  coasts  an  annoyance  to  us  ?  And 
now  she  has  got  feverish  about  being  an  independent  and  separate  govern- 
ment, while  she  has  not  got  as  many  qualified  voters  as  there  are  in  one 
Congressional  district  of  any  other  State  ?  What  condition  did  Florida  oc- 
cupy in  1811  ?  She  was  in  possession  ot  Spain.  What  did  the  United  States 
think  about  having  adjacent  territory  outside  of  their  jurisdiction?  Spain 
was  inimical  to  the  United  States;  and,  in  view  of  the  great  principles  of  self- 
preservation,  the  Congress  of  the  United  .States  pissed  a  resolution,  declaring 
that  if  Spain  attempted  to  transfer  Florida  into  the  hands  of  any  other 
power,  the  United  States  would  take  possession  of  it.  There  was  the  territory 
lying  upon  our  border,  outside  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States;  and 
we  declared  by  an  act  of  Congress  that  no  foreign  power  should  possess  it. 

"  We  went  still  further  and  appropriated  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
authorized  the  President  to  enter  and  take  possession  of  it.  Afterward  we 
negotiated  with  Spain,  and  gave  six  million  dollars  for  the  territory,  and  we 
established  a  territorial  government  for  it.  What  next  ?  We  undertook  to 
drive  out  the  Seminole  Indians,  and  we  had  a  war  in  which  this  government 
lost  more  than  all  the  other  wars  it  was  engaged  in ;  and  we  paid  the  sum  of 
tsventy-five  million  dollars  to  get  the  Seminoles  out  of  the  swamps,  so  that 
the  territory  could  be  inhabited  by  white  men. 

•'  But  now  that  the  Territory  is  paid  for,  the  Indians  driven  out,  and  twenty- 
five  million  dollars  have  been  expended,  they  want  no  longer  the  protection 
of  this  Government,  but  will  go  out  without  consulting  the  other  States ;  with- 
out reference  to  the  remaining  parties  to  the  compaci-.  Where  will  she  go  ? 
Will  she  attach  herself  to  Spain  again  ?  Will  she  pass  back  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Seminoles  ?  After  having  been  nurtured  and  protected  and 
fostered  by  all  these  States,  now,  without  regard  to  them,  is  she  to  be  allowed 
at  her  own  volition  to  withdraw  from  the  Union  ?  I  say  that  she  has  no  con- 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  311 

stitutional  right  to  do  it.  When  she  does  it,  it  is  an  act  of  aggression.  If  she 
succeeds  it  will  only  be  a  successful  revolution;  if  she  does  not  succeed,  she 
must  take  the  penalties  and  terrors  of  the  law. 

"  I  have  referred  to  the  acts  of  Congress  for  acquiring  Florida  as  setting 
forth  a  principle.  What  is  that  principle  ?  It  is  that  from  the  geographical 
relations  of  this  Territory  to  the  United  States,  we  authorized  the  President 
to  expend  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  get  a  foothold  there,  and  especially 
to  take  possession  of  it  if  it  were  likely  to  pass  to  any  foreign  power." 

In  another  vigorous  speech,  one  of  his  sentiments  was  as 
follows  : 

"\Ve  may  as  well  talk  of  things  as  they  are;  for  if  anything  can  be 
treason,  is  not  levying  war  upon  the  Government  treason  ?  Is  not  the 
attempt  to  take  the  property  of  the  Government  and  to  expel  the  soldiers 
therefrom,  treason  ?  Is  not  attempting  to  resist  the  collection  of  the  revenue, 
attempting  to  exclude  the  mails,  and  driving  the  Federal  courts  from  the 
borders,  treason  ?  What  is  it  ?  It  is  treason,  and  nothing  but  treason." 

Mr.  Johnson  also  fortified  his  argument  by  quoting  Madi- 
son, Webster,  Jackson,  Chief -Justice  Marshall  and  other  high 
authorities,  to  prove  that  a  State  could  not  constitutionally  go 
out  of  the  Union  without  the  consent  of  all  the  States.  He 
still  further  cited  General  Washington's  action  when  President 
in  putting  down  the  rebellion  in  Pennsylvania  in  1795  with 
fifteen  thousand  militia  ;  thus  having  as  eminent  an  authority 
as  Washington  for  the  position  that  neither  a  State  nor  part  of 
a  State  had  a  right  to  rebel  against  the  Federal  Government. 

Scarcely  had  these  speeches  been  delivered  in  the  United 
States  Senate  before  South  Carolina  passed  the  ordinance  of 
secession.  This  action  was  rapidly  followed  by  the  secession 
of  the  other  rebellious  States,  and  on  the  4th  of  February, 
1861,  a  convention  of  the  seceded  States  met  at  Montgomery, 
adopted  a  constitution,  and  elected  Jefferson  Davis  President 
of  the  so-called  Southern  Confederacy. 

It  was  but  natural  that  Johnson's  devotion  to  the  Union  and 
his  fierce  denunciation  of  treason  should  draw  upon  him 
threats  of  vengeance  from  the  secessionists,  and  attempts  were 
made  to  lynch  him  on  his  journey  home,  and  on  his  return  to 
Tennessee  he  received  insults  and  threats  and  was  even  burned 
in  effigy. 

The  success  of  the  Union  armies  in  February,    1862,   on  the 


312  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Tennessee  and  Cumberland  Rivers  recovered  possession  of 
Nashville  and  the  central  portion  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and 
on  the  4th  of  March  Mr.  Johnson  was  nominated  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln and  confirmed  by  the  Senate  as  Military  Governor  of 
Tennessee,  and  taking  possession  of  the  office  at  Nashville  on 
the  12lh  of  the  month,  he  began  at  once  to  organize  a  provis- 
ional government  for  the  State. 

His  position  was  not  an  agreeable  one.  The  rebel  troops  had 
but  recently  evacuated  Nashville,  and  the  Federal  army  had 
held  possession  but  a  few  days.  The  citizens  of  the  city  and 
surrounding  country  in  military  occupation  by  the  government 
were  full  of  the  most  bitter  hatred  toward  Governor  Johnson. 
A  conflict  between  him  and  the  city  officers  at  once  began.  He 
notified  them  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United 
States  Government;  the  Mayor  and  City  Council  refused  to  do 
so,  and  Governor  Johnson  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  their 
offices  vacant,  and  appointed  other  persons  to  serve  until  a  reg- 
ular election  could  be  held. 

Governor  Johnson's  position  was,  during  this  time,  a  very 
critical  one,  for  the  rebel  forces  had  but  fallen  sullenly  back 
from  the  State,  and  were  ready  at  the  first  opportunity  to  pounce 
down  upon  Nashville.  The  advance  of  the  rebel  General  Bragg 
into  Kentucky  caused  the  Federal  forces  in  Tennessee  to  be- 
come so  depleted  that  Nashville  was  threatened  by  Forrest  and 
Morgan,  and  nothing,  perhaps,  saved  it  but  its  hasty  fortifica- 
tion by  Governor  Johnson.  The  Governor  was  not  the  kind  of 
man  to  surrender,  and  the  rebel  generals  did  not  care  to  under- 
take the  capture  of  the  city,  and  so  they  lost  their  last  chance 
of  ever  reoccupying  the  capital  of  Tennessee. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1862,  Governor  Johnson  found  it  neces- 
sary to  issue  the  following  proclamation  : 

"  Whereas,  Certain  persons,  unfriendly  and  hostile  to  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  have  banded  themselves  together  and  are  now  going  at 
large  through  many  of  the  counties  of  this  State,  arresting,  maltreating  and 
plundering  Union  citizens  wherever  found  ; 

"  Now,  therefore,  1,  ANDREW  JOHNSON,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Tennessee, 
by  virtue  of  the  power  and  authority  in  me  vested,  do  hereby  proclaim  that 
in  every  instance  in  which  a  Union  man  is  arrested  and  maltreated  by  the 
marauding  bands  aforesaid,  five  or  more  rebels  from  the  most  prominent  in 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  313 

the  immediate  neighborhood  shall  be  arrested,  imprisoned  and  otherwise 
dealt  with  as  the  nature  of  the  case  may  require  ;  and,  further,  in  all  cases 
where  the  property  of  citizens  loyal  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
is  taken  or  destroyed,  full  and  ample  remuneration  shall  be  made  to  them 
out  of  the  property  of  such  rebels  in  the  vicinity  as  have  sympathized  with, 
and  given  aid,  comfort,  information  or  encouragement  to  the  parties  com- 
mitting such  depredations. 

"This  order  will  be  executed  in  letter  and  spirit.  All  citizens  are  hereby 
warned,  under  heavy  penalties,  from  entertaining,  receiving  or  encouraging 
such  persons  so  banded  together,  or  in  anywise  connected  therewith." 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1862,  in  a  speech,  Governor  Johnson  said 
in  reference  to  slavery: 

"This  is  the  people's  government;  they  received  it  as  a  legacy  from 
Heaven,  and  they  must  defend  and  preserve  it  if  it  is  to  be  preserved  at  all. 
I  am  for  this  Government  above  all  e  irthly  possessions,  and  if  it  perish  I  do 
not  want  to  survive  it.  lam  for  it  though  slavery  should  be  struck  from 
existence,  and  Africa  swept  from  the  balance  of  the  world.  I  believe, 
indeed,  that  the  Union  is  the  only  protection  of  slavery— its  sole  guarantee; 
but  if  you  persist  in  forcing  this  issue  of  slavery  against  the  Government,  I 
say  in  the  face  of  Heaven,  give  me  my  government  and  let  the  negro 
go  !" 

On  the  13th  of  July,  Forrest,  with  a  rebel  force  of  six 
thousand  troops,  captured  Murfreesboro,  and  from  there  ad- 
vanced to  Antioch,  six  miles  from  Nashville.  Governor  John- 
son declared  that  the  first  shot  fired  by  the  enemy  at  the  capital 
would  be  the  signal  for  the  demolition  of  the  houses  of  every 
prominent  secessionist  in  town.  This,  it  is  said,  induced  the 
rebel  sympathizers  in  Nashville  to  implore  Forrest  not  to  attempt 
to  take  the  city,  and  as  a  result"  he  withdrew,  but  remained  with 
Morgan  in  the  neighborhood.  The  danger  of  attack  and  capture 
of  the  city  still  continued,  however,  and,  on  the  6th  of  September, 
the  Union  element  of  Nashville  was  thrown  into  great  con- 
sternation on  account  of  the  report  that  General  Buell  had  de- 
termined upon  the  evacuation  of  Nashville.  On  hearing  this 
report,  Governor  Johnson  exclaimed:  "  What,  evacuate  Nash- 
ville, and  abandon  our  Union  friends  to  the  mercy  of  these 
infernal  hounds  !  Why,  there  is  not  a  secessionist  in  town 
who  would  not  laugh  to  see  every  Union  man  shot  down  in 
cold  blood  by  rebel  soldiers  if  they  come  here ;"  and  he  not  only 
protested  against  the  evacuation  or  surrendering  without  a 


314  UVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

fight,  but  declared  that  he  would  destroy  the  city  rather  than 
leave  it  to  the  enemy.  The  situation  was  critical  indeed,  but 
General  Thomas  fortunately  arrived  and  took  command,  and 
sustained  Governor  Johnson's  resolution  that  the  city  should 
neither  be  evacuated  nor  surrendered.  Thus  for  a  second 
time  Governor  Johnson  saved  Nashville  by  his  matchless  firm- 
ness and  indomitable  decision  of  character. 

In  reference  to  Buell's  timid  and  wavering  conduct,  the  follow- 
ing amusing  anecdote  is  related  of  Governor  Johnson  :  There 
was  at  that  time  in  Nashville  a  fighting  Methodist  preacher 
called  Colonel  Moody.  During  the  great  excitement  incident 
upon  Buell's  expected  evacuation  of  the  city,  Moody  called  upon 
Governor  Johnson,  who  immediately  met  him,  and  with  intense 
feeling  said,  ''  Moody,  we  are  sold  out !  Buell  is  a  traitor  !  He 
is  going  to  evacuate  the  city,  and  in  forty -eight  hours  we  shall 
all  be  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels."  Then  he  commenced  pacing 
the  floor  again,  twisting  his  hands  and  chafing  like  a  caged 
tiger.  Suddenly  he  turned  and  said:  "  Moody,  can  you  pray?" 
"  That's  my  business,  sir,  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,''  replied 
the  Colonel.  "  Well,  Moody,  I  wish  you  would  pray,"  said  John- 
son, and  instantly  both  went  down  on  their  knees  at  opposite 
sides  of  the  room.  As  the  prayer  became  fervent  Johnson  be- 
gan to  respond  in  true  Methodist  style.  Presently  he  crawled 
over  on  his  hands  and  knees  to  Moody 's  side,  and  put  his  arm 
over  him,  manifesting  the  deepest  emotion.  Closing  the  prayer 
with  a  hearty  ' '  Amen  "  from  each,  they  arose.  Johnson  took  a 
long  breath  and  said,  with  emphasis:  ' '  Moody,  I  feel  better.  Will 
you  stand  by  me  ?"  "Certainly  I  will,"  answered  the  preacher. 
"  Well,  Moody,  I  can  depend  on  you  ;  you  are  one  in  a  hundred 
thousand  !"  Then,  after  pacing  the  floor  again  for  a  while,  he 
turned  and  said  :  "  Oh,  Moody,  I  don't  want  you  to  think  I  have 
become  a  religious  man  because  I  asked  you  to  pray.  I  am  sorry 
to  say  it,  but  I  am  not,  and  have  never  pretended  to  be  religious. 
No  one  knows  this  better  than  you  ;  but,  Moody,  there  is  one 
thing  about  it,  I  do  believe  in  Almighty  God,  and  I  believe  in 
the  Bible,  and  I  say  I'll  be  damned  if  Nashville  shall  be  surren- 
dered I"  And  Nashville  was  not  surrendered  I 

In  October,  Governor  Johnson's  family,  who  had  been  left  be- 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  315 

hind  when  he  assumed  control  of  affairs  in  Tennessee,  reached 
Nashville  after  great  difficulty  in  passing  the  rebel  lines  The 
rebel  War  Department  at  first  sent  a  small  escort  with  them, 
who  were  needed  to  protect  the  family  from  violence.  At  Mur- 
freesboro,  Forrest  refused  to  let  them  pass  until  peremptory  or- 
ders from  Richmond  allowed  them  to  proceed.  It  was  joy  in 
that  family  when  they  were  at  last  reunited  in  Nashville,  and 
when  the  little  woman  who  taught  the  tailor  to  write  took  her 
place  as  mistress  of  the  governor's  mansion. 

On  the  5th  of  November  the  last  attempt  to  capture  Nash- 
ville was  made  by  the  rebel  forces,  which  met  with  so  decided 
a  repulse  that  they  fell  back,  and  on  the  14th,  General  Rose- 
crans  arriving  with  heavy  reinforcements,  preparations  were 
made  to  drive  the  rebel  army  out  of  Tennessee.  On  the  8th  of 
December  Governor  Johnson  issued  a  proclamation  ordering 
elections  to  be  held  in  certain  districts  to  fill  vacancies  in  Con- 
gress. 

On  the  loth  of  Decernber  he  assessed  a  tax  upon  the  wealthy 
secessionists  of  Nashville  for  the  support  of  helpless  wives, 
children  and  widows,  suffering  from  poverty  and  misfortune, 
whose  only  support  had  been  forced  into  the  rebel  ranks. 

In  addition  to  such  efforts  as  this  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of 
the  citizens  of  Nashville,  there  were  thousands  of  refugees 
coming  into  the  lines  in  destitution  who  were  actually  com- 
pelled to  look  to  the  Government  for  their  daily  bread,  and 
thus  his  duties  were  filled  with  constant  care  and  anxiety  and 
labor,  and  everything  possible  was  done  toward  the  resto 
ration  of  law  and  order  and  comfort  in  the  State. 

When  the  National  Union  Convention  met  in  Baltimore  on 
the  6th  of  June,  1864,  Governor  Johnson  had  become  so  con- 
spicuous and  popular  from  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the 
Union  that  he  was  selected  as  the  candidate  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent  on  the  ticket  with  President  Lincoln  for  re-election.  The 
following  extract  s  from  his  speech  on  accepting  the  nomination 
are  a  fair  index  of  the  sentiments  of  the  man  : 

"  This  aristocracy  has  been  the  bane  of  the  slave  States;  nor  has  the  North 
been  wholly  free  from  its  curse.  It  is  a  class  which  I  have  always  forced  to 
respect  ine,  for  I  have  ever  set  it  at  defiance.  The  respect  of  the  honest,  in- 


316  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


telligent  and  industrious  class  I  have  endeavored  to  win  by  my  conduct  as  a 
man.  One  of  the  chief  elements  of  this  rebellion  is  the  opposition  of  the 
slave  aristocracy  to  being  ruled  by  men  who  have  risen  from  the  ranks  of 
the  people.  This  aristocracy  hated  Mr.  Lincoln,  because  he  was  of  humble 
origin,  a  rail-splitter  in  early  life.  One  of  them,  the  private  secretary  of 
Howell  Cobb,  said  to  me  one  day:  '  We  people  of  the  South  will  not  submit 
to  be  governed  by  a  man  who  has  come  up  from  the  ranks  of  the  common 
people,  as  Abe  Lincoln  has.'  Now  it  has  just  occurred  to  me,  if  this  aris- 
tocracy is  so  violently  opposed  to  being  governed  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  what  in  the 
name  of  conscience  will  it  do  with  Lincoln  and  Johnson  ?  I  reject  with  scorn 
this  whole  idea  of  an  arrogant  aristocracy. 

"  There  is  an  element  in  our  midst  who  are  for  perpetuating  the  institution 
of  slavery.  Let  me  say  to  you  Tennesseeans  and  men  from  the  Northern 
States  that  slavery  is  dead.  It  was  not  murdered  by  me.  I  told  you  long 
ago  what  the  result  would  be  if  you  endeavored  to  go  ouc  of  the  Union  to  save 
slavery,  and  that  the  result  would  be  bloodshed,  rapine,  devastated  fields, 
plundered  villages  and  cities;  and  therefore  I  urged  you  to  remain  in  the 
Union.  In  trying  to  save  slavery  you  killed  it  and  lost  your  own  freedom. 
Your  slavery  is  dead,  but  I  did  not  murder  it.  As  Macbeth  said  to  Banquo  s 
bloody  ghost : 

'  Shake  not  thy  gory  locks  at  me, 
Thou  canst  not  say  I  did  it.' 

"Now,  in  regard  to  emancipation,  I  want  to  say  to  the  blacks  that  liberty 
means  libercy  to  work  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  your  labor.  Idleness  is  not 
freedom.  I  desire  that  all  men  shall  have  a  fair  start  and  an  equal  chance 
in  the  race  of  life,  and  let  him  succeed  who  has  the  most  merit.  This,  I 
think,  is  a  principle  of  Heaven.  I  am  for  emancipation  for  two  reasons, 
first  because  it  is  right  in  itself,  and  second,  because  in  the  emancipation  of 
the  slaves  we  break  down  an  odious  aud  dangerous  aristocracy.  I  think  we 
are  freeing  more  whites  than  blacks  in  Tennessee. 

"I  want  to  see  slavery  broken  up,  and  when  its  barriers  are  thrown  down, 
I  want  to  see  industrious,  thrifty  immigrants  pourina;  in  from  all  parts  of 
the  country.  Come  on  !  We  need  your  labor,  your  skill,  your  capital.  We 
want  your  enterprise  and  invention,  so  that  hereafter  Tennessee  may  rank 
with  New  England  in  the  arts  and  mechanics,  and  that  when  we  visit  the 
Patent  Office  at  Washington,  where  the  ingenious  mechanics  of  the  free 
States  have  placed  their  models,  we  need  not  blush  that  Tennessee  can  show 
nothing  but  a  mouse-trap  or  a  patent  churn.  Come  on  I  We  greet  you  with 
a  hearty  welcome  to  the  soil  of  Tennessee." 

In  his  letter  accepting  the  nomination,  he  said  : 

"  At  the  beginning  of  this  great  struggle  I  entertained  the  same  opinion  of 
it  I  do  now,  and  in  my  place  in  the  Senate  I  denounced  it  as  treason,  worthy 
the  punishment  of  death,  and  warned  the  Government  and  people  of  the 
impending  danger.  But  my  voice  was  not  heard  or  counsel  heeded  until  it 
was  too  late  to  avert  the  storm.  It  still  continued  to  gather  over  us  without 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  317 


molestation  from  the  authorities  at  Washington,  until  at  length  it  broke 
with  all  its  fury  upon  the  country.  And  now,  if  we  would  save  the  Govern- 
ment from  being  over  whelmed  by  it,  we  must  meet  it  in  the  true  spirit  of 
patriotism  and  bring  the  traitors  to  the  punishment  due  their  crime,  and  by 
force  of  arms  crush  out  and  subdue  the  last  vestige  of  rebel  au  hori^y  in 
every  State.  I  felt  then  as  now,  that  the  destruction  of  the  Government 
was  deliberately  determined  upon  by  wicked  and  designing  conspirators, 
whose  lives  and  fortunes  were  pledged  to  carry  it  out,  and  that  no  compro- 
mise, short  of  an  unconditional  recognition  of  the  independence  of  the 
Southern  States,  could  have  been  or  could  now  be  proposed  which  they 
would  accept.  The  clamor  fur  '  Southern  rights,'  as  the  rebel  journals  were 
pleased  to  designate  their  rallying  cry,  was  not  to  secure  their  assumed 
rights  in  the  Union  aad  under  the  Constitution,  but  to  d  srupt  the  Govern- 
ment and  establish  an  independent  organization,  based  upon  slavery,  which 
they  could  at  all  times  control. 

"In  a  letter  dated  May  1, 1833,  to  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Crawford,  after  demon- 
strating the  heartless  insincerity  of  the  Southern  nullifiers,  General  Jackson 
said  .  '  Therefore,  the  tariff  was  only  a  pretext,  and  disunion  and  a  Southern 
Confederacy  the  real  object.  The  next  pretext  will  be  the  negro  or  slavery 
question  > 

"  Time  has  fully  verified  this  prediction,  and  we  have  now  not  only  '  the  ne- 
gro or  slavery  question'  as  the  pretext,  but  the  real  cause  of  the  rebellion,  and 
both  must  go  down  together.  It  is  vain  to  attempt  to  reconstruct  the  Union 
with  the  distracting  element  of  slavery  in  it.  Experience  has  demonstrated 
its  incompatibility  with  free  and  republican  governments,  ai;d  it  would  be 
unwise  and  unjust  logger  to  continue  it  as  one  of  the  institutions  of  the 
country.  While  it  remained  subordinate  to  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the 
United  States,  I  yielded  to  it  my  support ;  but  when  it  became  rebellious  and 
attempted  to  rise  above  the  Government  and  control  its  action,  I  threw  my 
humble  influence  against  it. 

"In  accepting  the  nomination  I  might  here  close,  but  I  cannot  forego  the 
opportunity  of  spying  to  my  old  friends  of  the  Democratic  parly. proper, 
with  whom  I  have  so  long  and  pleasantly  been  associated,  that  the  hour  has 
now  come  when  that  great  party  can  justly  vindicate  its  devotion  to  true 
democratic  policy  and  measures  of  expediency.  The  war  is  a  war  of  great 
principles.  It  involves  the  supremacy  and  life  of  the  Government  itself.  If 
the  rebellion  t-iumpbs,  free  government,  North  and  South,  fails.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Government  is  successful,  as  I  do  not  doubt,  its  destiny  is 
fixed,  its  basis  permanent  and  enduring,  and  its  career  of  honor  and  glory 
just  begun.  In  a  great  content  li^e  this  for  the  existence  of  free  government, 
the  path  of  duty  is  patriotism  and  principle.  Minor  consideradons  and  ques- 
tions of  administrative  policy  should  give  way  to  the  higher  duty  of  first  pre- 
serving the  Government,  and  then  ihere  will  be  time  enough  to  wrangle  over 
the  men  and  measures  pertaining  to  its  administration." 

On  the  8th  of  November  the  Presidential  election  took  place. 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  re-elected  President,  and  Andrew  John- 


318  LIVES   OP  OUR    PRESIDENTS. 

son  Vice-President,  and  the  public  acts  of  these  two  noble  and 
devoted  men  were  indorsed  by  the  people  of  the  nation.  At 
this  time,  the  rebellion  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  and  on 
the  9th  of  April  its  final  crash  came,  and  Lee  surrendered  to 
General  Grant. 

Scarcely  had  the  first  enthusiastic  burst  of  rejoicing  rolled 
over  the  land  when,  on  the  14th  of  April,  President  Lincoln 
was  assassinated,  and  amid  the  most  terrible  grief  and  lamen- 
tation throughout  the  country  over  the  foul  murder,  Mr.  John- 
son was  officially  notified  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  the 
vacancy  in  the  office,  and  at  10  o'clock  on  the  morning  after  the 
assassination,  he  took  the  oath  of  office  and  became  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  The  inauguration  was  followed  by 
a  short  but  most  appropriate  address. 

On  the  17th  of  April  the  citizens  of  Illinois  in  Washington, 
before  leaving  to  accompany  the  remains  of  Mr.  Lincoln  to  their 
future  resting  place  in  Springfield,  called  upon  President  John- 
son to  express  their  confidence  in  him,  and  their  determination 
to  support  him.  Governor  O^lesby,  as  speaker  for  the  party, 
delivered  a  most  appropriate  address,  to  which  the  President 
replied  in  some  of  the  finest  sentiments  he  had  ever  given  to  the 
public,  closing  as  follows  : 

"  While  we  are  appalled,  overwhelmed,  at  the  fall  of  one  man  in  our  midst 
by  the  hand  of  a  traitor,  shall  we  allow  men,  I  care  not  by  what  weapons,  to 
attempt  the  life  of  a  State  with  impunity  ?  While  we  strain  our  minds  to 
comprehend  the  enormity  of  this  assassination,  shall  we  allow  the  nation  to 
be  assassinated  ?  I  speak  in  no  spirit  of  unkindness.  I  do  not  harbor  bitter 
or  revengeful  feelings  toward  any  I  know  that  men  love  to  have  their 
actions  spoken  of  in  connection  with  acts  of  mercy;  and  how  easy  it  is  to 
yield  to  this  impulse.  But  we  must  not  forget  that  what  may  be  mercy  to 
the  individual  is  cruelty  to  the  State.  In  tne  exercise  of  mercy  there  should 
be  no  doubt  left  that  this  high  prerogative  is  not  used  to  relieve  a  few  at  the 
expense  of  the  many.  Be  assured  that  I  shall  never  foiget  that  I  am  nx>t  to 
consult  my  own  feelings  alone,  but  to  give  an  account  to  the  whole  people. 

•'  la  regard  to  my  future  course  I  will  now  make  no  professions,  no  pledges. 
I  have  long  labored  for  the  amelioration  and  elevation  of  the  great  mass  of 
mankind.  I  believe  that  government  was  made  for  man,  not  man  for  gov- 
ernment. This  struggle  of  the  people  against  the  most  gigantic  rebellion  the 
world  ever  saw,  has  demonstrated  that  the  attachun  nt  of  the  people  to  their 
government  is  the  strongest  national  defense  human  wisdom  can  devise. 
My  past  life,  especially  my  course  during  the  present  unholy  rebellion,  is 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  319 

before  you.  I  have  no  principles  to  retract.  I  hare  no  professions  to  offer. 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  anticipate  the  future.  As  events  occur,  and  it  becomes 
necessary  for  me  to  act,  I  shall  dispose  of  each  as  it  arises,  deferring  any 
declaration  or  message  until  it  can  be  'vritten  paragraph  by  paragraph  in 
the  light  of  events  as  they  transpire." 

Mr.  Johnson  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  possessing 
the  highest  admiration  and  fullest  confidence  of  the  people. 
His  constant,  bold  and  eloquent  expression  of  the  sentiments  that 
the  rebellion  and  slavery  should  both  be  crushed  out  together, 
and  that  traitors  should  be  punished,  had  naturally  led  the 
people  both  North  and  South  to  believe  that  his  measures  of 
reconstruction  would  be  of  the  most  rigid  nature,  and  that  in 
the  restoration  of  the  conquered  States  to  representation  in 
Congress  and  the  control  of  their  State  legislation,  he  would 
insist  upon  unmistakable  loyalty  as  an  official  test,  and  that  the 
late  prominent  rebels  should  not  be  allowed  to  enter  into  the 
foundations  of  reconstruction.  The  recent  assassination  of  the 
beloved  Lincoln  had  still  further  embittered  the  feelings  of  the 
people  against  the  rebels,  and  it  was  their  desire  to  punish  the 
leaders  wherever  possible  by  disqualification  for  representation 
of  their  States,  and  in  treating  them  as  a  conquered  people,  to 
reconstruct  State  and  national  government  over  them  from  the 
loyal  element.  It  was  naturally  believed  that  this  would  be 
the  firm  policy  of  President  Johnson,  but  the  country  was 
greatly  surprised,  and  all,  except  the  conservative  element, 
highly  indignant  to  find  him  urging  a  system  of  reconstruction 
that  many  believed  would  again  place  the  control  of  the  Gov- 
ernment in  the  hands  of  unrepenting  rebels  on  the  floor  of 
Congress. 

Upon  the  question  as  to  whether  the  Government  should 
extend  its  absolute  protection  and  support  to  the  loyal  men  of 
the  South,  without  distinction  of  race,  who  during  the  rebellion 
had  remained  true  to  the  national  flag,  President  J  ihnson  took 
the  ground  that  the  rebel  States  had  never  been  out  of  the 
Union  and  could  not  constitutionally  withdraw,  and  as  States 
had  never  forfeited  their  political  rights,  and  that  in  their 
State  and  national  representation  we  could  only  lawfully  exact 
of  them  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Government  of  the  United 


320  LIVES   OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

States.  Upon  this  broad  ground  he  held  that  they  had  a  right 
to  control  their  own  State  affairs  and  to  send  representatives 
to  Congress,  subject  only  to  the  constitutional  right  to  reject 
or  expel. 

Adhering  to  this  position,  President  Johnson  endeavored  to 
urge  his  policy  upon  Congress  and  to  oppose  their  precautionary 
measures  of  reconstruction.  This  created  a  strong  opposition 
to  the  President  in  the  party  which  elected  him,  and  threw  him 
into  the  arms  of  the  party  which  had  voted  against  him. 

The  position  taken  by  Mr.  Johnson,  that  the  rebellious  States 
could  not  constitutionally  sever  their  connection  from  the  Union, 
answered  very  -well  for  the  war,  but  when  it  came  to  reconstruc- 
tion upon  that  principle,  it  became  evident  that  it  would  loosen 
the  military  hold  of  the  Government  upon  those  States  and  their 
citizens,  and  not  only  leave  them  to  select  their  own  national 
representatives,  but  it  would  also  leave  the  loyal  men  of  those 
States,  who  had  opposed  the  rebellion,  and  also  the  colored  race, 
to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  men  so  lately  in  arms  against  the 
Government.  The  question  therefore  created  a  great  discussion 
throughout  the  country.  The  position  was  taken,  in  opposition 
to  Mr.  Johnson,  that  the  rebellion  was  so  large  as  to  become  an 
exception  to  the  general  rule  applying  to  ordinary  insurrections, 
and  that  as  the  so-called  Southern  Confederacy  had  formed  a 
government  with  a  constitution  and  President  and  Congress, 
and  with  ambassadors  and  a  regularly  organized  army  and 
navy,  with  recognized  rights  as  belligerents,  when  vanquished 
the  Government  had  the  right  of  conquerors  over  them  and 
could  reconstruct  them  according  to  the  laws  of  war. 

With  this  view  of  the  subject  Congress  insisted  that  certain 
guarantees  should  be  required  of  the  rebellious  States  before 
they  should  be  allowed  to  resume  their  former  status  in  the 
Union.  These  guarantees  were  presented  to  them  in  the  form 
of  terms  of  reconstruction  to  be  accepted  and  adopted  as  amend- 
ments to  their  State  constitutions,  before  they  could  be  admit- 
ted to  the  free  and  equal  condition  of  States  which  had  always 
remained  loyal. 

In  the  light  of  history  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  Govern- 
ment was  magnanimous. 


ANDREW  JOHNSON.  621 

The  breach  between  President  Johnson  and  Congress  on  the 
question  of  reconstruction  was  also  extended  to  other  issues, 
and  conflicts  arose  during  the  remainder  of  his  term  in  hie 
effort  to  thwart  other  measures  to  which  he  was  opposed.  To 
limit  his  power  as  much  as  possible,  Congress  passed  the 
"  Tenure  of  Office  Act  "  in  March,  1867.  This  act  the  President 
declared  unconstitutional,  and  refused  to  be  governed  by  it 
without  submitting  it  to  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  as 
to  its  unconstitutionality. 

In  this  opposition  to  the  "Tenure  of  Office  Act"  Mr.  Johnson 
ordered  the  removal  of  Mr.  Stanton  from  his  position  held 
under  appointment  from  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  appointed  General 
Grant  in  his  place.  Upon  the  refusal  of  Secretary  Stanton 
to  vacate  his  position  in  the  Cabinet,  Mr.  Johnson  threatened  to 
force  him  from  the  office.  Congress  assumed  that  the  Presi- 
dent, by  this  opposition  to  a  law  of  the  land,  had  violated  his 
oath  of  office,  and  was  subject  to  impeachment. 

His  trial  began  on  the  4th  of  March  and  consumed  nearly 
three  months  before  the  Senate,  which  was  acting  as  the  jury, 
had  the  case  given  them  for  their  decision.  The  vote  stood 
thirty-five  for  impeachment  and  nineteen  for  acquittal.  A  two- 
thirds  vote  being  required  for  conviction,  he  was  pronounced 
acquitted. 

The  Presidential  chair  was  saved  to  Mr.  Johnson  by  one  vote 
only,  and  he  continued  the  remainder  of  his  term  shorn  of  his 
strength  and  without  success  in  carrying  out  his  policy. 

On  the  inauguration  of  President  Grant,  Mr.  Johnson  retired 
to  his  old  home  in  Greenville,  where  he  remained  in  seclusion 
until  January,  1875,  when  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  of 
Tennessee  as  United  States  Senator.  He  took  his  seat  in  the 
Senate  at  the  special  session  on  the  5th  of  March. 

During  a  visit  to  his  daughter,  who  resided  near  Carter's  Sta- 
tion, Tenn.,  in  July,  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  after  a 
few  days  of  insensibility,  he  died  on  the  31st  of  July,  1875,  and 
went  to  his  final  rest  in  the  little  Greenville  cemetery. 


ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 


The  greatest  eulogy  that  can  be  offered  to  our  republican 
form  of  government  is  the  opportunity  it  offers  for  the  devel- 
opment of  genius  from  the  ranks  of  the  people.  Many  of  our 
greatest  statesmen  and  military  heroes  gave  no  indication  in 
early  life  of  the  superior  qualities  they  possessed  until  our 
republican  institutions  afforded  them  encouragement  to  develop 
the  latent  resources  of  their  characters. 

Such  was  the  character  in  early  life  of  the  subject  of  our  biog- 
raphy. As  a  boy  he  gave  no  further  indications  of  talent  than 
would  qualify  him  for  clerking  in  a  country  store  or  similar 
modest  employment. 

Ulysses  S.  Grant  was  born  on  the  27th  of  April,  1822,  at  Point 
Pleasant,  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
Cincinnati.  He  is  of  good  old  Revolutionary  stock.  His  great- 
great-grandfather,  Noah  Grant,  was  captain  of  a  company  of 
colonial  militia  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  as  one  of 
the  patrioTs  fell  bravely  fighting  at  the  battle  of  White  Plains 
in  1776. 

The  family  originally  came  from  Scotland,  and  Noah  Grant 
settled  in  Connecticut.  The  father  of  Ulysses,  Jesse  Root  Grant, 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father, 
Noah  Grant,  Jr. ,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  began  his  mili- 
tary career  as  an  officer  at  the  battle  of  Lexington,  and  served 
with  honor  and  devotion  through  the  Revolutionary  War. 
When  a  boy  of  sixteen,  Jesse  R.  Grant  was  sent  to  Kentucky 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  tanner,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  ap- 
prenticeship moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  married  Hannah  Simp- 
son, and  after  many  years  of  close  application  to  his  trade,  se- 
cured a  comfortable  fortune,  and  turning  the  tannery  over  to 
his  sons  Orville  and  Simpson,  he  retired  from  business, 


'324 


LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


Ulysses  was  the  eldest  son,  and  had  necessarily  been  called 
upon  early  to  assist  his  father  in  the  routine  of  work.  He  early 
developed  a  fancy  for  horses  and  a  talent  for  breaking  and 
driving  them.  It  is  related  of  him  that  when  only  seven  years 
old  he  harnessed  a  three-year-old  colt  to  a  sled  and  hauled 
wood,  and  by  the  time  he  was  ten  years  old  he  was  frequently 


THE  BIRTHPLACE  OF  GENERAL  GRANT. 


sent  by  his  father  to  Cincinnati  with  loads  of  wood  and  leather 
to  deliver  to  customers.  His  skill  as  a  rider  became  so  remark- 
able that  at  twelve  years  of  age  he  could  stand  upon  the  back 
of  a  horse  going  at  full  speed,  supporting  himself  only  by  the 
bridle.  At  about  the  same  age  he  succeeded  in  riding  the  trick 
pony  at  a  circus,  despite  all  efforts  to  dismount  him,  the  ring- 


ULYSSES  S.   GRAtff.  ^325 

master  even  unfairly  bringing  a  monkey  to  his  assistance, 
which  fastened  itself  on  the  head  and  shoulders  of  Ulysses. 

At  one  time,  when  his  father  had  undertaken  to  build  the 
county  jail,  Ulysses  came  in  one  day  with  a  load  of  logs  and 
reported  that  there  was  no  one  to  help  him  load.  ' '  Why,  how 
did  you  load  this  morning?"  asked  his  father  in  surprise.  "  Oh, 
Dave  and  I  loaded,"  he  replied.  Dave  was  one  of  the  strong, 
heavy  horses  of  the  team.  The  surprising  part  of  it  was  that 
the  logs  would  have  required  fifteen  or  twenty  men  to  lift 
any  one  of  them,  but  the  sturdy  little  boy  had  hitched  the 
horse  to  the  logs  one  at  a  time  and  dragged  them  across  a  fallen 
tree  until  one  end  was  high  enough  to  back  the  wagon  under 
them  ;  then  with  the  horse  he  pulled  them  on  the  wagon  and 
drove  home  with  his  load. 

At  about  twelve  years  of  age,  while  driving  a  team  of  horses 
before  a  light  wagon,  he  was  requested  to  take  two  young 
women  to  Georgetown,  where  he  lived.  There  had  been  a 
heavy  rain,  and  the  creek  which  he  had  forded  on  the  previous 
day  had  risen  over  its  banks,  and  after  driving  a  short  distance 
into  the  water  he  found  that  the  horses  were  swimming.  The 
water  filled  the  wagon  box  and  the  girls  became  very  much 
frightened,  but  little  Ulysses  said  :  "  Now  don't  be  making  a 
fuss  there.  Keep  quiet  and  I'll  take  you  through  safe  ;"  and 
holding  the  horses  steadily  with  the  reins,  he  swam  them  to 
the  opposite  bank. 

Ulysses  disliked  work  in  the  tannery  and  declared  that  he 
would  not  be  a  tanner,  but  wanted  to  be  a  farmer  or  merchant. 
His  father  suggested  West  Point,  and  the  idea  took  finely  with 
the  boy,  and,  an  appointment  being  secured,  he  entered  the 
Military  Academy  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  There  happened  to 
be  another  Grant  in  the  same  class,  and  the  boys  nicknamed 
U.  S.  Grant  ' '  Uncle  Sam "  to  distinguish  him  from  the  other 
Grant. 

At  the  academy  Ulysses  kept  at  about  the  middle  of  his  class, 
and  graduated  from  that  position.  In  the  dry  studies  he  did 
not  take  much  interest,  but  in  all  the  military  exercises,  and 
especiall/  in  horsemanship,  he  excelled. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1843,  Grant  received  the  appointment  of 


326  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Brevet  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  United  States  Army,  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  in  Missouri,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1844,  when  he  was  sent  with  his  regiment  to  Camp 
Salubrity,  in  Louisiana.  The  only  notable  thing  he  remembers 
doing  at  this  camp  was  learning  to  smoke  cigars. 

But  the  cloud  of  war  was  hovering  over  the  locality  of  our 
young  Lieutenant,  and  in  1845  he  was  sent  to  Corpus  Christi 
to  take  command  in  the  army  under  General  Taylor,  who  was 
then  holding  himself  in  readiness  for  orders  to  pounce  upon 
the  Mexicans  who  were  menacing  the  border.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  Grant  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant, 
and  on  the  8th  of  May,  1846,  he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Palo 
Alto,  and  the  next  day  again  in  that  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma,. 
The  first  battle  was  a  duel  with  cannon,  lasting  all  day,  in 
which  Lieutenant  Grant  had  but  little  opportunity  to  display 
his  bravery.  But  the  next  day,  the  Mexicans,  whom  our 
heavy  cannon  had  forced  to  retire  in  the  first  battle,  rallied  in  a 
thicket  of  small  timber  and  again  fought  fiercely  a  battle  of  in 
fantry  in  which  Grant  displayed  his  first  qualities  of  skill  and 
bravery. 

On  the  23d  of  September  he  participated  in  the  fierce  battle  of 
Monterey,  in  which  General  Taylor  marched  boldly  upon  the 
city  garrisoned  by  ten  thousand  Mexican  soldiers,  and  after 
two  or  three  days'  fierce  fighting  in  the  streets  and  at  the  forti- 
fications of  the  city,  compelled  it  to  surrender. 

This  ended  his  campaign  with  General  Taylor,  and  he  was 
?xx>n  afterward  sent  with  his  regiment  to  join  the  army  of 
General  Scott,  who  was  then  preparing  for  an  attack  on  Vera 
Cruz.  This  afforded  Grant  an  opportunity  of  engaging  in  the 
.siege  and  capture  of  that  stronghold.  His  brave  conduct  here 
marked  him  for  a  reward,  and  he  was  appointed  Eegimental 
Quartermaster.  Notwithstanding  his  new  position,  he  engaged 
with  his  regiment  in  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  also  in  those  of 
San  Antonio,  Cherubusco  and  Molino  del  Rey,  in  which  latter 
glorious  engagement  he  so  distinguished  himself  that  he  was 
promoted  to  the  brevet  rank  of  First  Lieutenant.  At  the  storm- 
ing of  Chepultepec  he  added  to  his  laurels  such  a  record  for 
bravery  that  he  was  breveted  a  Captain. 


ULYSSES  S.   GRANT.  327 

With  the  capture  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  Grant  had  engaged 
in  every  battle  of  the  war  except  Buena  Vista. 

His  military  career  in  Mexico  was  now  at  an  end,  and  he 
returned  with  his  regiment  to  New  York  City,  whence  he  was 
sent  to  Sackett's  Harbor.  Here,  obtaining  a  short  leave  of 
absence,  he  married  Miss  Julia  T.  Dent,  the  daughter  of  a  St. 
Louis  merchant. 

In  ]  849  he  went  with  his  regiment  to  Fort  Brady,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years.  In  1852  the  regiment  was  sent  to  the 
Pacnic  coast,  and  one  battalion,  including  Grant's  company, 
was  ordered  to  Columbia  Barracks,  in  Oregon.  Grant,  however, 
soon  became  so  tired  of  the  life  in  that  wild,  remote  locality, 
that  he  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  his  wife  and 
civilization  in  St.  Louis. 

Being  now  thrown  on  his  own  resources,  he  followed  one  of 
his  boyish  inclinations,  and  settled  on  a  farm  which  Mrs. 
Grant's  father  had  given  her.  He  began  by  hewing  logs  for 
his  dwelling,  and  built  the  house  himself.  The  farm  was 
small,  so  it  required  his  hardest  labor  to  secure  from  it  a  sup- 
port for  his  family.  In  the  winter  he  and  his  son  hauled  wood 
to  St.  Louis,  each  driving  a  team. 

Four  years  of  farming  found  Grant  discoaiaged  with  results, 
and  moving  to  St.  Louis,  he  opened  a  real  estate  office,  but  gave 
it  up  for  a  position  in  the  Custom  House,  which  he  soon  lost  by 
the  death  of  the  Collector.  In  1860  he  moved  to  Galena,  and  en- 
gaged with  his  brother  in  the  leather  business.  Scarcely  was 
~3  settled  in  his  new  avocation  when  the  attack  upon  Fort 
Sumter  aroused  his  military  enthusiasm,  and  as  soon  as  the  call 
was  made  for  volunteers,  he  took  command  of  a  company  in 
Galena,  and  went  with  it  to  Springfield  to  report  to  the  Gov- 
ernor for  duty.  Here  his  fifteen  years'  service  in  the  regular 
army  made  him  so  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  military  mat- 
ters that  his  merits  were  soon  discovered  by  the  Governor,  who 
placed  him  in  charge  of  the  Twenty-first  Illi nois  Regiment,  and, 
greatly  to  his  surprise,  sent  him  the  commission  of  Colonel.  His 
regiment  was  soon  after  ordered  to  guard  the  line  of  the  Han- 
mbal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad.  From  this  point  the  regiment 
went  to  Ironton  Mo.  and  while  passing  through  St.  Louis 


328  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Colonel  Grant  received  a  commission  promoting  him  to  Briga- 
dier-General, and  assigned  him  to  the  command  of  Southeastern 
Missouri,  Southern  Illinois  and  Western  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see. Reporting  to  General  Fremont  at  St.  Louis,  he  was  at  once 
instructed  to  make  his  headquarters  at  Cairo,  111.,  to  which  place 
he  repaired  on  the  1st  of  September. 

Grasping  the  situation  with  his  fine  military  mind,  he  real- 
ized that  Paducah  and  Smithland.  at  the  mouths  of  the  Ten- 
nessee and  Cumberland  rivers,  were  two  strategic  points  which 
should  not  be  left  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  who  were 
concentrating  their  forces  for  the  occupation  of  Kentucky.  To 
secure  these  points,  General  Grant,  on  the  night  of  the  5th  of 
September,  embarked  his  troops  on  transports  under  convoy  of 
two  gunboats,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  arrived  at  Padu- 
cah and  took  possession.  Grant  returned  to  Cairo  the  same 
day ;  General  C.  F.  Smith  was  placed  in  command  of  Paducah, 
and  troops  were  sent  to  take  possession  of  Smithland  and  for- 
tify it  sufficiently  to  hold  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland  River. 

General  Grant  now  devoted  his  time  to  fortifying  Cairo  and 
organizing  and  drilling  the  raw  troops  who  were  coining  in 
every  day.  There  was  such  a  lack  of  efficient  officers  that 
General  Grant  had  to  perform  most  of  the  work  himself,  and 
teach  the  officers  how  to  make  out  their  different  reports  and 
requisitions. 

During  this  time  General  Grant  had  gathered  a  force  of 
20,000  troops  at  Cairo.  But  the  rebels,  far  from  being  idle, 
had  taken  possession  of  Columbus,  Ky.,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  about  twenty  miles  below  Cairo,  and  were 
rapidly  fortifying  its  heights  so  as  to  command  the  river.  To 
still  further  secure  their  position,  they  had  formed  a  camp  at 
Belmont.  o  i  the  Missouri  shore,  under  the  protection  of  the 
guns  at  Columbus.  From  this  camp  the  rebels  intended  to 
make  raids  in  Missouri.  The  position  at  Columbus  was  a  strong 
one,  and  if  allowed  to  be  held  would  be  a  constant  menace  to 
both  Paducah  and  Cairo,  besides  barring  the  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi. 

General  Grant  did  not  feel  that  his  force  was  strong  enough 
to  capture  Columbus,  but  he  was  quick  to  see  that  he  could 


tTLYSSES  S.    GRANT.  320 

inflict  a  severe  punishment  on  the  rebels  at  Belmont,  and  on 
the  night  of  the  6th  of  November  he,  with  about  three  thousand 
men,  embarked  on  transports,  convoyed  by  two  gunboats,  and 
landed  early  next  morning  above  Columbus,  just  out  of  range 
of  the  enemy's  guns,  and  quickly  and  quietly  marching  through 
the  forest,  made  an  impetuous  charge  upon  the  camp  at  Bel- 
mont, and  swept  the  rebels  out  of  their  positions,  capturing 
their  camp,  artillery  and  many  prisoners.  The  repulse  of  the 
rebels  could  be  seen  from  Columbus,  and  General  Polk  began 
immediately  throwing  reinforcements  across  the  river.  This 
afforded  Pillow  an  opportunity  to  reorganize  his  command,  and 
preparations  were  quickly  made  to  assail  the  Union  forces  in 
the  rear.  But  Grant  was  quick  to  discover  the  movement,  and 
seeing  transports  crossing  from  Columbus  with  reinforcements, 
he  hastily  burned  the  rebel  camp  and  began  his  retreat.  Almost 
immediately  he  discovered  a  rebel  force  between  him  and  his 
transports,  and  he  ordered  a  charge  which  swept  the  enemy 
from  before  him,  and  gaining  the  cover  of  the  gunboats,  he 
embarked  and  returned  to  Cairo. 

This  battle  opened  the  campaign  in  that  military  division,  and 
the  rebels  began  at  once  to  strengthen  their  positions  for  active 
work.  They  at  once  reinforced  Columbus  with  a  large  garri- 
son and  heavy  guns,  and  fortified  Bowling  Green.  They  also 
constructed  Fort  Henry,  on  the  Tennessee,  and  Fort  Donelson, 
on  the  Cumberland,  about  twelve  miles  distant  from  each 
other.  These  forts  were  made  very  strong,  guns  of  the  heaviest 
calibre  were  mounted,  and  the  rebels  believed  they  would  be 
able  to  control  the  two  rivers  and  prevent  the  ascent  of  the 
Union  fleet  and  forces.  The  nearness  of  the  forts  to  each 
other  would  enable  one  to  reinforce  the  other,  and  the  rebels 
did  not  believe  that  they  could  be  taken. 

General  Grant  quickly  realized  the  great  importance  of  cap- 
turing both  these  forts,  and  secured  from  General  Halleck  the 
order  for  the  movement.  Fort  Henry  was  the  first  point  of 
operation,  and  on  the  2d  of  February  General  Grant  started 
upon  the  expedition  with  seventeen  thousand  men  on  trans- 
ports, accompanied  by  seven  iron-clad  gunboats,  commanded 
by  Commodore  Foote  and,  landing  the  troops  a  few  miles  be* 


330  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

low  Fort  Henry  for  an  attack  upon  the  rear,  the  gunboats 
steamed  up  within  short  range  and  opened  a  terrific  fire  upon 
the  fort.  The  fire  was  vigorously  returned  by  the  fort,  and 
General  Tilghman,  who  was  in  command,  stood  bravely  by  his 
artillerists,  directing.their  fire.  But  the  iron-clads  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  heaviest  guns,  and  completely  silenced  the  fort 
in  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  compelled  its  surrender.  Owing  to 
high  water  and  almost  impassable  roads,  Grant's  main  army  did 
not  reach  the  fort  in  time  to  strike  it  in  the  rear,  as  was  in- 
tended, nor  to  intercept  the  main  body  of  the  garrison,  which 
escaped  to  Fort  Donelson. 

On  the  12th  of  February  General  Grant  made  the  advance  on 
Fort  Donelson.  The  rebels  in  the  meantime  had  been  making 
the  greatest  preparation  for  the  impending  struggle,  and  had  not 
only  largely  increased  their  force,  but  had  greatly  strengthened 
the  fort,  which  naturally  was  a  strong  position,  being  built  on 
a  ledge  of  rocks  which  overlooked  the  river  for  miles.  It  pos- 
sessed water  batteries,  mounting  columbiads  and  similar  heavy 
guns.  There  were  ramparts,  re-entrants,  curtains,  salients, 
bastions  and  rifle-pits,  and  the  approaches  on  both  the  land  and 
the  water  side  were  made  practically  impassable  by  heavy  abatis. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  12th  there  were  slight  skirmishes  be- 
tween the  rebels  on  the  outer  lines  and  McClernand's  and  Smith's 
commands,  but  General  Grant  was  wisely  investing  the  fort, 
and  holding  back  from  an  engagement  until  the  gunboats  re- 
turned with  the  transports  and  reinforcements,  as  at  that  time 
the  rebel  force  far  exceeded  that  of  the  Union  army. 

On  the  night  of  the  13th  Commodore  Foote  arrived,  bringing 
the  much-wished-for  reinforcements.  The  next  day  the  newly 
arrived  troops  were  all  assigned  to  their  positions,  and  all 
things  being  in  readiness,  the  fleet  of  gunboats  steamed  up  at 
about  3  P.  M.  within  short  range  of  the  fort  and  opened  fire. 
If  Commodore  Foote  anticipated  as  easy  work  as  he  had  expe- 
rienced at  Fort  Henry,  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  The 
relative  positions  of  the  two  forts  were  very  different.  Fort 
Henry  was  on  low  ground,  with  a  river  bank  overflowing,  while 
Fort  Donelson  looked  down  on  ihe  gunboats  from  an  elevation 
of  thirty  or  forty  feet,  and  could  discharge  her  solid  shot  with 


tJLYSSES  S.   GRAKT.  331 

terrific  effect  on  the  gunboats.  Such  was  the  disadvantage  that 
at  the  end  of  an  hour  and  a  half  the  gunboats  had  been  so 
roughly  handled  as  to  be  compelled  to  draw  off.  This  led  the 
rebels  to  believe  that  they  had  won  a  victory  by  driving 
off  the  gunboats,  but,  as  Colonel  Oglesby  said  :  ' '  Grant  had 
gone  there  to  take  that  fort,  and  he  would  stay  until  he 
did  it ;"  and  as  the  rebels  saw  the  Union  forces  growing 
in  numbers  every  day  the  siege  continued,  they  began 
to  lose  hope,  and  Floyd,  on  a  consultation  with  his 
generals,  decided  that  they  must,  if  possible,  cut  their  way  out 
and  escape.  This  plan,  unfortunately  for  the  Union  forces,  was 
put  into  execution  while  General  Grant  was  absent  on  the  flag- 
ship, having  been  sent  for  by  Commodore  Foote.  The  attack 
naturally  fell  on  the  weakest  part  of  the  line,  and  the  head  of 
the  army  not  being  on  the  field  to  direct  the  movement  of  the 
forces,  one  brigade  after  another  was  forced  back,  and  Pillow 
was  so  sure  of  victory  that  he  sent  word  to  Johnston  at  Nash- 
ville that  he  had  won  the  day.  But  he  had  "  reckoned  without 
his  host."  Grant  returned,  and  for  the  first  time  became  aware 
of  the  situation.  He  was  surprised  at  the  attack,  and  could  not 
understand  it  until  he  saw  that  the  knapsacks  of  the  rebels 
were  packed  and  their  haversacks  were  filled  with  rations.  At 
once  he  saw  that  they  were  fighting  their  way  out,  and  as  soon 
as  he  communicated  this  to  the  officers  and  soldiers,  it  revived 
their  courage,  and  General  Grant  at  once,  by  a  masterly  Na- 
poleonic move,  reformed  the  lines,  and  charging  the 
enemy,  pushed  them  back  into  their  lines,  and  when 
night  closed  the  engagement,  it  found  the  Union 
forces  victorious.  Floyd  now  saw  that  there  would  be  no 
alternative  but  to  surrender,  and  resigning  the  command  to 
Pillow,  who  in  turn  resigned  to  Buckner,  these  two  Generals 
stole  away  in  the  night,  while  Forrest,  with  more  valor,  fought 
his  way  out  with  his  cavalry  and  escaped.  There  being  no 
others  desirous  of  taking  the  risk  of  fighting  their  way  out, 
Buckner  then  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  General  Grant,  asking  for 
an  armistice  and  commissioners  to  arrange  for  capitulation. 
To  this  Grant  replied  :  "  No  terms  other  than  an  unconditional 
and  immediate  surrender  can  be  accepted.  I  propose  to  move 


832  LIVES  oP  otm 

immediately  upon  your  works  !"  Buckner  realized  at  once  that 
delay  would  invoke  a  terrific  slaughter  of  rebels,  and  he  com- 
plied at  once  with  the  demand  for  "unconditional  surrender," 
and  Fort  Donelson,  with  14,623  men,  17  heavy  siege  guns,  48 
pieces  of  field  artillery,  20,000  stand  of  small  arms,  8,000  horse?, 
besides  a  large  quantity  of  military  stores,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Grant. 

This  was  the  most  signal  victory  that  had  been  secured,  and 
it  created  the  most  universal  joy  among  all  Union  people,  wliile 
it  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  rebels.  Grant's  name  was 
heralded  all  over  the  land,  and  the  greatest  gratitude  and 
praise  were  bestowed  upon  him.  President  Lincoln,  quick  to 
recognize  the  sterling  qualities  of  the  hitherto  unknown  man, 
rewarded  him  at  once  with  a  commission  of  Major-General. 

The  fall  of  Fort  Donelson  inflicted  serious  damage  upon  the 
rebel  cause  far  beyond  the  limits  of  that  fortification.  It 
threw  Southern  Kentucky  and  a  considerable  portion  of  Middle 
Tennessee  into  possession  of  the  Federal  forces,  and,  together 
with  Fort  Henry,  gave  them  the  navigation  of  the  Cumberland 
and  Tennessee  Rivers.  It  also  forced  the  rebels  to  abandon  Co- 
lumbus, Bowling  Green  and  Nashville,  and  allow  large  quanti- 
ties of  military  stores  to  fall  into  our  hands.  It  reached  till 
further  in  its  effects — it  inspired  hope  and  confidence  in  the 
Union  soldiers  and  aroused  a  fear  in  the  breasts  of  the  rebels 
that  they  were  not  invincible  after  all. 

After  this  signal  defeat,  General  Johnston,  the  rebel  com- 
mander, concentrated  his  scattered  forces  and  established  a  new 
defensive  line  at  Island  No.  10,  in  the  Mississippi,  and  at  Mur- 
freesboro,  but  being  soon  compelled  to  evacuate  Island  No.  10, 
they  changed  their  front  to  Corinth  and  Chattanooga. 

Grant's  successful  operations  at  this  time  were  delayed  and 
his  plans  changed  by  Halleck,  his  superior  in  rank  and  his 
inferior  in  everything  pertaining  to  military  matters.  In  his 
envy  of  Grant's  success  and  growing  lame  he  assigned  him  to 
new  districts,  and  gave  the  command  of  important  expeditions 
to  other  officers,  until  Grant,  feeling  the  injustice  so  keenly, 
insisted  upon  being  relieved  from  further  duty  in  the  depart- 
ment until  he  could  appeal  to  higher  authority.  This  resulted 


ULYSSES  S.    GRANT.  333 

in  a  slight  relaxation  of  the  restraint  put  upon  Grant,  and 
with  his  new  command  he  again  prepared  to  move  for  active 
service. 

In  the  meantime  the  rebels  had  been  making  themselves 
strong  by  concentration,  compelling  all  small  Union  commands 
in  their  vicinity  to  fall  back.  Indications  pointed  to  a  coming 
engagement  on  the  line  of  the  Tennessee,  necessary  to  break 
the  hold  the  rebels  were  securing  in  that  quarter.  On  the  17th 
of  March,  1862,  General  Grant  began  to  concentrate  his  troops 
at  Pittsburg  Landing  on  the  Tennessee,  where  he  was  to  await 
the  arrival  of  General  Buell  from  Nashville,  with  forty  thous- 
and troops.  At  this  time  Grant  had  but  thirty-five  thousand 
men,  while  the  rebels  had  a  force  of  seventy  thousand  concen- 
trated at  Corinth,  only  twenty  miles  away.  General  Johnston, 
who  was  in  command  at  Corinth,  realized  the  necessity  of 
crushing  Grant  before  Buell  arrived,  and  at  daylight  on  the 
6th  of  April,  the  entire  rebel  force,  after  a  quick  march  from 
Corinth,  fell  upon  Grant's  army  in  overwhelming  numbers,  and 
during  the  entire  day  one  of  the  most  bloody  battles  of  the  war 
was  fought.  The  carnage  was  fearful,  and  the  Union  army 
was  in  the  greatest  danger  of  being  swept  into  hopeless  ruin. 
They  were  driven  back  to  the  river  in  the  greatest  disorder,  and 
nothing  but  the  gunboats  saved  them  from  an  unconditional 
surrender.  Bravery  could  avail  but  little  against  the  over- 
whelming force  of  the  rebels.  This  was  the  desperate  condition 
of  Grant's  army  when  night  closed  the  contest.  The  rebels 
were  confident  of  a  complete  victory  the  next  morning. 

During  the  afternoon  Buell  arrived  in  advance  of  his  troops, 
and  anxiously  inquired  of  Grant  what  preparation  he  had  made 
lor  a  retreat  across  the  river.  "  Why,"  replied  Grant,  "I have 
not  despaired  of  whipping  them  yet. "  ' '  But, "  continued  Buell, 
; '  you  haven't  steamboats  enough  to  carry  away  ten  thousand 
men."  "Well,"  replied  Grant,  "  there  won't  be  more  than  that 
many  left  when  I  get  ready  to  go  /" 

In  the  night  20,000  of  Buell's  troops  arrived  in  advance  of  the 
others  and  crossed  the  river,  where  they  were  placed  in  position 
for  an  early  resumption  of  hostilities  the  next  morning.  The 
arrival  of  fresh  troops  had  so  inspired  the  Union  army  with 


334  LIVES   OF    OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

confidence  that  at  daylight  they  fell  upon  the  rebels  in  a  charge 
so  fierce  and  impetuous  that  the  latter  were  filled  with  astonish- 
ment. Grant  knew  his  strength  and  advantage  and  he  swept 
everything  before  him.  All  day  the  conflict  raged  with  unpre- 
cedented fury,  and  at  night  the  defeated  rebels  retreated  to 
Corinth,  leaving  nearly  20,000  men  dead  on  the  field.  Thus 
ended  the  battle  of  Shiloh  on  the  first  day  and  that  of  Pittsburg 
Landing  on  the  second,  in  which  Grant  wrested  a  grand  victory 
out  of  defeat. 

On  the  9th  of  April,  Major-General  Halleck  arrived  and  as- 
sumed command.  With  the  greatest  caution  he  advanced  on 
Corinth,  intrenching  his  position  at  almost  every  step.  In  the 
entire  siege,  which  was  contemptible  in  a  military  poiut  of  view, 
General  Grant  was  entirely  ignored  by  Halleck  and  was  practi- 
cally relieved  from  command.  The  result  of  this  slow  and 
cautious  advance  was  the  escape  of  the  rebels  from  Corinth 
with  all  their  materials  of  war,  to  the  great  surprise  of  Halleck, 
who  was  doubtless  considering  his  own  chances  of  escape  should 
he  be  attacked  by  the  rebels.  This  fortunately  ended  his 
personal  supervision  of  military  movements  in  the  West,  for  he 
was  soon  after  called  to  Washington  and  Graut  was  again  placed 
in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  He  soon  after 
placed  Rosecrans  in  command  of  Corinth  and  improved  the 
fortifications  by  shortening  the  lined.  His  military  foresight 
and  skill  were  soon  evident,  for  the  rebels,  under  Van  Dorn, 
advanced  upon  Corinth  and  made  a  vigorous  attack,  which 
Rosecrans  repulsed ;  and  after  a  fierce  battle  the  rebels  re- 
treated, pursued  by  the  Union  forces,  leaving  on  the  field  nearly 
1,500  officers  and  men  and  more  than  5,000  wounded,  besides 
losing  over  2,000  prisoners. 

The  necessity  for  opening  the  Mississippi  River  was  becoming 
more  evident  every  day,  and  when  General  Grant  requested 
permission  of  Halleck  to  make  an  attack  upon  Vicksburg,  he 
found  the  General-in-Chief  favorable  to  his  plan,  and  he  at  once 
began  to  concentrate  troops  for  the  great  campaign.  His  plan 
was  to  have  the  fleet  co-operate  with  the  land  forces,  and  after 
a  number  of  small  battles  in  Mississippi,  in  which  divisions  of 
the  army  were  engaged,  General  Grant  pushed  on  with  the 


ULYSSES  S.  GRANT.  335 

entire  force  toward  Vicksburg  as  rapidly  as  possible,  issuing 
orders  for  the  army  to  subsist  from  the  country. 

The  siege  of  Vicksburg  is  such  a  history  in  itself  that  only 
general  details  can  be  given.  As  a  natural  military  stronghold 
it  could  scarcely  be  surpassed  by  any  other  position  occupied 
by  the  rebels.  This  city  is  located  on  a  bluff,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  above  low  water  mark,  while  innumerable  swamps 
and  bayous  extend  in  all  directions  in  the  rear  through  the 
almost  impenetrable  forests,  and  never  perhaps  in  the  history 
of  any  siege  since  the  world  began  were  there  so  many  natural 
obstacles  to  its  progress.  Every  means  was  devised  that  human 
ingenuity  could  plan.  Canals,  passes,  bayous  and  every  other 
species  of  water-course  were  tried  in  the  endeavor  to  pass  Vicks- 
burg with  the  fleet  and  army  to  a  point  of  operation  below,  but 
these  plans  all  failed.  The  forests,  bayous  and  swamps  were 
too  much  for  human  ingenuity,  and  giving  up  all  these  plans, 
General  Grant  concentrated  the  army  in  front  of  Vicks- 
burg, and  decided  to  send  the  iron-clads  and  transports 
down  the  Mississippi  River  under  the  fire  of  the  Vicks- 
burg batteries,  and  on  the  16th  of  April,  at  night,  the 
fleet,  under  Admiral  Porter,  steamed  past  Vicksburg,  under 
a  terrific  fire  from  the  heaviest  guns,  to  which  all  the 
gunboats  replied  with  fearful  energy  while  they  floated 
with  the  current.  After  the  fleet  and  army  had  reached  a  point 
below  Vicksburg,  General  Grant  worked  incessantly  to  prepare 
for  the  grand  assault  which  he  knew  must  be  made.  Immedi- 
ately he  began  a  series  of  fierce  assaults  from  day  to  day  on  the 
rebel  lines,  while  all  the  operations  of  the  siege  were  pushed 
vigorously  forward.  Nearer  and  nearer  the  works  approached 
Vicksburg,  while  mines  were  sunk,  and  sharpshooters  from 
towers  and  tree-tops  were  constantly  picking  off  the  rebel  gun- 
ners. On  the  26th  of  June,  a  great  mine,  dug  under  one  of  the 
strongest  batteries  of  the  enemy,  was  exploded,  with  the  most 
tremendous  force,  shaking  the  very  city  to  its  foundations,  and 
strewing  the  air  with  dirt,  timbers  and  cannon,  and  the  mangled 
bodies  of  the  rebels.  This  explosion  was  followed  by  an  assault 
on  the  enemies'  line  of  defense,  which  had  been  broken  by  the 
explosion,  but  it  accomplished  nothing. 


336  LIVES  OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS- 

At  last  Grant's  works,  mounted  by  heavy  guns,  were  all 
completed,  and  he  directed  that  the  general  attack  be  made  on 
the  morning  of  the  5th  of  July.  Pemberton,  the  rebel  com- 
mander at  Vicksburg,  realizing  the  terrific  slaughter  of  his 
men  that  would  result  from  the  assault,  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce 
on  the  3d  for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  arrange  for 
the  capitulation.  But  Grant  demanded  unconditional  surren- 
der, although  offering  to  meet  Pemberton  to  arrange  details. 
The  meeting  took  place,  and  Pemberton  accepted  the  terms, 
which  allowed  the  officers  and  soldiers  to  be  liberated  on  their 
paroles,  taking  with  them  their  clothing,  rations,  cooking 
utensils  and  a  limited  number  of  wagons. 

These  terms  were  accepted,  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  by 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Vicksburg  was  in  our  hands, 
with  all  its  siege  guns,  small  arms  and  military  stores.  The 
force  surrendered  amounted  to  27,000  men,  including  6,000 
wounded  and  sick  in  hospital. 

This  grand  victory  of  General  Grant's  was  one  of  the  most 
important  of  the  war,  and  resulted  in  opening  the  Mississippi 
from  the  Ohio  to  the  Gulf. 

General  Sherman  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  sent  with  a 
force  to  attack  Johnston,  and  succeeded  in  driving  him  from 
Jackson  to  Meridian. 

On  the  6th  of  June  a  detachment  of  colored  troops,  aided  by 
the  gunboats,  defeated  McCulloch's  command  of  3,000  rebels  at 
Milliken's  Bend. 

A  rebel  force  of  8,000  men  made  an  attack  upon  the  Union 
garrison  at  Helena  on  the  4th  of  July,  but  General  Prentiss, 
assisted  by  the  gunboats,  made  such  a  gallant  resistance  that 
the  rebels  were  signally  defeated  and  driven  off. 

As  soon  as  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  relieved  the  necessity  of  the 
large  force  concentrated  there,  General  Grant  sent  reinforce- 
ments to  Banks,  who  was  besieging  Port  Hudson,  and  on  the 
8th  of  July  that  rebel  stronghold  surrendered  with  10,000  pris- 
oners and  50  guns. 

Thus  were  a  series  of  smaller  victories  added  to  the  brilliant 
conquest  of  Vicksburg,  to  the  great  discomfiture  of  the  rebels 
and  the  depression  of  their  cause.  This  successful  campaign 


4  ULYSSES  S.    GRANT.  337 

raised  the  fame  of  Grant  above  all  the  envious  falsehoods  and 
villainous  influences  that  had  been  brought  to  bear  against 
him.  He  had  proven  himself  the  military  superior  not  only  of 
the  rebel  generals,  but  also  of  his  enemies  among  the  officers  of 
our  own  army,  and  yet  without  pride  or  retaliation  he  pushed 
ahead  and  gave  his  noble  services  to  the  cause  he  so  dearly 
loved. 

After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  President  Lincoln  and  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  so  fully  appreciated  the  ability  of  Grant  that  he 
was  made  Major-General  in  the  regular  army,  which  outranks 
a  Major-General  of  volunteers. 

In  September  General  Grant  was  thrown  from  his  horse  in 
New  Orleans,  and  for  nearly  three  weeks  was  confined  to  his  bed. 
During  this  time  the  Union  forces,  under  Rosecrans,  received 
the  well-remembered  defeat  at  Chickamauga.  Bragg's  forces 
having  been  weakened  by  detachments  being  sent  to  other 
points,  and  Rosecrans  feeling  sure  of  success,  pressed  on  after 
Bragg,  who  retreated  through  Chattanooga  until  he  received 
the  reinforcements  of  Buckner's,  JLongstreet's  and  Folk's  com- 
mands. Then,  with  an  army  of  eighty  thousand  men,  he 
turned  upon  Rosecrans  and  almost  crushed  his  army  at  Chick- 
amauga, inflicting  a  loss  of  sixteen  thousand  men,  killed, 
wounded  and  missing,  and  besieging  Rosecrans  in  Chattanooga, 
where  he  was  in  the  most  critical  situation. 

General  Grant,  as  soon  as  he  learned  of  the  disaster  at  Chicka- 
mauga and  the  dangerous  position  of  Rosecrans,  relieved 
him  of  the  command  and  General  Thomas  was  appointed  in 
his  place ,  with  instructions  telegraphed  to  hold  Chattanooga 
at  all  hazards  until  reinforcements  could  reach  him.  The 
reply  of  Thomas  was  brief  and  business-like:  "  We'll  hold  the 
town  till  we  starve."  General  Grant  immediately  set  out  for 
Chattanooga,  and  reached  it  on  the  23d  of  October,  when  he 
commenced  his  plans  of  operation  at  once  by  opening  a  line  of 
communication  for  reinforcements  and  supplies.  General  Sher- 
man was  ordered  forward  with  all  possible  speed,  and  by  a 
forced  march,  under  the  greatest  difficulties  of  bad  roads  and 
flooded  streams,  that  faithful  warrior  hurried,  forward  his 
troops  to  reinforce  Chattanooga. 


338  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

As  soon  as  Sherman  arrived  General  Grant  was  ready  for 
offensive  operations.  He  sent  General  Sherman,  on  the  night 
of  the  23d  of  November,  across  the  Tennessee  River  to  hold  a 
position  ready  for  attack  upon  Missionary  Eidge.  On  the  24th 
General  Hooker  stormed  Lookout  Mountain  and  swept  the 
rebels  in  the  greatest  disorder  from  their  position.  The  next 
day  the  entire  army  charged  the  rebels  in  one  of  the  most  ter- 
rific battles  of  the  war,  and  when  night  came  the  rebels  had 
been  swept  from  every  point,  and  in  a  wild  rout  they  were  flee- 
ing toward  Atlanta  with  General  Grant  in  pursuit,  and  the 
road  strewn  with  everything  that  they  could  cast  away  in  their 
wild  rush  for  life  and  liberty. 

Thus  again  did  General  Grant  turn  into  a  glorious  victory  the 
impending  defeat  and  surrender  which  had  hung  over  the 
besieged  army  at  Chattanooga.  The  successful  management 
of  this  battle  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in  history, 
and  its  result  was  to  drive  back  the  rebels  from  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  and  prepare  the  Union  army  for  finally  breaking  the 
back  of  the  rebellion  in  Georgia. 

The  news  of  the  great  victory  created  the  wildest  enthusiasm 
for  General  Grant  throughout  the  country,  and  on  the  4th  of 
February,  1864,  a  bill  was  passed  in  Congress  reviving  the  grade 
of  Lieutenant-General  in  the  army,  and  calling  General  Grant 
to  the  command  of  all  the  armies  of  the  United  States.  This 
at  once  relieved  him  from  subjection  to  inefficient  superiors 
and  placed  him  in  supreme  command,  subject  only  to  the  Pres- 
ident. The  bill  was  approved  by  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  1st  of 
March,  and  on  the  9th  General  Grant  received  his  commis- 
sion. 

General  Grant  at  once  decided  to  end  the  Rebellion  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac,  and  began  reorganizing  the  army  and 
concentrating  a  great  force  in  tlie  East,  knowing  that  the  rebels 
would  be  compelled  to  withdraw  or  decrease  their  troops  at  all 
other  points  to  defend  Richmond  and  support  Lee,  thus  leaving 
the  West  and  South  at  the  mercy  of  Sherman,  Thomas,  McPher- 
son  and  similar  able  and  faithful  gent  rals. 

As  soon  as  General  Grant  began  to  develop  his  plans  all  roads 
seemed  to  lead  to  the  Potomac,  and  from  every  direction  the 


ULYSSES  S.    GRANT.  339 

martial  tread  of  armies  was  heard.  After  locating  and  instruct- 
ing his  generals  of  the  Eastern  army,  he  gave  to  General  Sher- 
man a  grand  expedition,  which  only  Grant  and  Sherman 
were  capable  of  accomplishing,  that  of  cutting  the  Confeder- 
acy in  two,  and  breaking  the  back  of  the  Rebellion  by  that 
daring  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  war  the  control  of 
the  army  und  its  military  movements  were  in  the  bands  of  the 
two  military  giants  of  the  country,  and  the  result  was  soon  to 
be  what  might  have  taken  place  two  years  earlier  under  their 
control — the  end  of  the  war.  Lee  had  defeated  every  other 
General  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  who  had  confronted  him, 
and  General  Grant  knew  that  the  war  would  only  end  with  the 
overthrow  of  the  military  leader  of  the  Rebellion.  The  time  had 
come  for  his  defeat,  and  no  one  knew  it  so  well  as  Grant.  The 
following  ideas,  expressed  in  one  of  his  reports  as  Lieuten- 
ant-General,  are  worthy  of  the  genius  of  Napoleon  : 

"  From  an  early  period  in  the  Rebellion  I  had  been  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  active  and  continuous  operations  of  all  the  troops  that  could  be 
brought  into  the  field,  regardless  of  season  and  weather,  were  necessary  to 
a  speedy  termination  of  the  war.  The  resources  of  the  enemy  and  his 
numerical  strength  were  very  inferior  to  ours  ;  but,  as  an  offset  to  this,  we 
had  a  vvst  territory,  with  a  population  hostile  to  the  Government,  to  gar- 
rison, and  long  lines  of  river  and  railroad  communications  to  protect,  to 
enable  us  to  supply  the  operating  armies. 

"  The  armies  in  the  East  and  West  acted  independently  and  without  con- 
cert— like  a  balky  team,  no  two  ever  pulling  together — enabling  the  enemy  to 
use  to  great  advantage  his  interior  lines  of  communication  for  transporting 
troops  from  east  to  west,  reinforcing  ihe  arnrjr  most  vigorously  pressed  and 
to  furlough  large  numbers  during  seasons  of  inactivity  on  our  part,  to  go  to 
their  homes  and  do  the  work  of  providing  for  the  support  of  their  armies. 
It  was  a  question  whether  our  numerical  strength  and  resources  were  not 
more  than  balanced  by  these  disadvantages  and  the  enemy's  superior  posi- 
tion. 

"  From  the  first  I  was  firm  in  the  conviction  that  no  peace  could  be  had 
that  could  be  stable  and  conducive  to  the  happiness  of  the  people  both  North 
and  South  until  the  military  power  of  the  rebellion  was  entirely  broken  up. 

"  I  therefore  determined,  first,  to  use  the  greatest  number  of  troops  prac- 
ticable against  the  armed  force  of  the  enemy,  preventing  him  from  using 
the  same  force  at  different  seasons  against  first  one  and  then  another  of  our 
armies,  and  the  possibility  of  repose  for  refitting  and  producing  necessary 
supplies  for  carrying  on  resista  nee ;  secondly,  to  hammer  continuously  against 


340  LIVES  OF   OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

the  armed  force  of  the  enemy  and  his  resources,  until,  by  mere  attrition,  if 
in  no  other  way,  there  should  be  nothing  left  to  him  but  an  equal  submission 
with  the  loyal  sections  of  our  common  country  to  the  Constitution  and  laws 
of  the  land. 

"  These  views  have  been  kept  constantly  in  mind,  and  orders  given  and 
campaigns  made  to  carry  them  out.  Whether  they  might  have  been  better 
in  conception  and  execution  is  for  the  people,  who  mourn  the  loss  of  friends 
fallen,  and  who  have  to  pay  the  pecuniary  cost,  to  say.  All  that  I  can  say  is 
that  what  I  have  done  has  been  done  conscientiously,  to  the  best  of  my 
ability  and  in  what  I  conceived  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of  the  whole 
country." 

Relying  implicitly  on  Sherman's  ability  to  sweep  irresistibly 
through  Georgia  to  Savannah  and  thence  northward,  destroy- 
ing railroads,  devastating  the  country,  capturing  Charleston, 
Columbia  and  other  rebel  strongholds,  General  Grant  began  his 
preparations. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1864,  at  midnight,  General  Grant  moved 
his  whole  army  and  crossed  the  Rapidan  before  daylight.  Push- 
ing on  toward  Spottsylvania  his  army  swept  through  the 
Wilderness,  and  he  disposed  his  troops  in  position  to  prevent 
every  possible  surprise. 

Lee,  in  his  perfect  confidence  secured  by  all  previous  experi- 
ence with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  determined  to  fall  upon 
Grant  by  surprise,  and,  by  cutting  his  army  in  two,  sweep  him 
from  the  field.  On  the  morning  of  the  5th  Lee  suddenly  ap- 
peared, rushing  impetuously  upon  the  centre  of  Grant's  army, 
with  his  troops  massed  and  bent  upon  dividing  it  and  sweeping 
it  in  hopeless  defeat  across  the  Rapidan.  But  for  once  Lee  had 
met  his  superior,  and  although  he  had  forced  the  fight  upon  his 
own  familiar  ground,  with  his  own  plan  and  at  his  chosen  time, 
he  found  himself  at  the  close  of  the  first  day's  terrific  battle 
pressed  back  upon  the  field  and  six  thousand  of  his  men  welter- 
ing in  their  blood.  He  realized  that  he  had  a  desperate  under- 
taking befoie  him,  and  doubtless  "  bitterly  thought  of  the  mor- 
row "  as  he  waited  for  daylight  to  renew  the  carnage.  The  sec- 
ond day  dawned,  and  fiercely  through  all  its  long  hours  the 
battle  raged  at  every  point,  with  each  army  pushing  back  di- 
visions of  the  other  and  victory  refusing  to  perch  upon  either 
standard.  When  night  again  closed  upon  the  weary  com- 


TJLYSSES  S.   OKANl'.  841 

batants  twenty  thousand  men  lay  dead  and  wounded  on  the  fear- 
ful field. 

It  may  appropriately  be  said  that  Lee  was  very  much  dis- 
couraged, and  during  the  night  he  retreated  to  seek  his  in- 
trenchments  near  Spottsylvania  Court  House  ;  but  Grant,  with 
worthy  courage  and  invincible  determination,  started  in  imme- 
diate pursuit,  and  the  next  day  a  running  fight  was  kept  up 
in  a  paralM  line,  but  the  dense  growth  of  the  trees  and  under- 
brush in  the  Wilderness  was  so  thick  that  the  two  armies  could 
scarcely  see  each  other. 

Thus  passed  the  third  day,  and  on  the  next  morning  General 
Grant  made  the  attack  upon  Lee  in  his  works,  and  drove  the 
rebels  from  their  outer  intrench  ments  with  a  loss  of  about  three 
thousand  prisoners.  Night  again  came,  and  the  armies  slept, 
as  it  were,  with  their  hands  on  each  others'  throats.  The  next 
morning  Grant  was  up  at  daylight,  thundering  away  with  his 
batteries  at  the  rebel  breast-works,  and  all  day  continued  with- 
out an  intermission.  The  next  day  it  was  resumed  and  fought 
with  indescribable  fury,  and  ended  with  an  irresistible  charge 
upon  the  enemy's  works,  sweeping  them  from  the  outer  line 
and  capturing  two  thousand  prisoners.  The  loss  in  this  day's 
terrific  struggle  was  nearly  ten  thousand  men  on  each  side. 
Up  to  that  time  5,000  rebel  prisoners  had  been  taken,  while 
only  a  few  stragglers  here  and  there  had  been  secured  from  our 
army.  It  was  at  the  close  of  this  day's  fighting  that  General 
Grant  said  in  his  laconic  message  to  the  War  Department,  "I 
propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it  takes  me  all  summer." 

On  the  next  day,  the  llth,  the  armies  were  so  completely 
exhausted  that  there  was  no  general  engagement,  but  Grant 
was  laying  his  plans,  and  at  midnight  General  Hancock,  in  a 
terrific  thunder-storm,  charged  the  enemy's  lines  with  such 
impetuous  fury  that  he  drove  the  rebels  back  from  their  in- 
trenchments  in  that  division,  capturing  over  3,000  prisoners  and 
thirty  guns.  This  brave  charge  brought  on  a  general  en- 
gagement, which  continued  the  remainder  of  the  night  and  all 
the  next  day,  with  a  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  equal  to  that 
of  the  day  previous.  Had  it  not  been  for  Meade's  delay  in  rein- 
forcing Hancock,  an  overwhelming  victory  would  evidently 


342  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

have  been  gained  over  the  rebels,  but  in  the  half  hour  in  which 
the  reinforcements  were  behind  Lee  had  strengthened  the  force 
in  front  of  Hancock  until  their  position  could  not  be  carried, 
and  the  brave  general  was  forced  to  abandon  the  captured  in- 
trenchments  and  fall  back. 

This  day's  battle  resulted  in  forcing  Lee  to  fall  back  to  his 
inner  lines,  and  General  Grant  took  up  a  new  position  nearer 
the  enemy.  But  he  had  formed  a  plan  for  a  flank  movement, 
and  by  a  quick  march  carried  his  army  south  to  a  position  be- 
yond Spottsylvania  Court  House.  Lee,  however,  had  the  short- 
est line  of  march,  and  being  on  the  alert,  threw  his  force  with 
great  celerity  into  the  intrenchment  he  had  previously  prepared 
in  front  of  Grant's  new  position,  with  a  view  to  prevent  a  march 
upon  Richmond. 

When  General  Grant  had  secured  his  new  position  he  sent 
Sheridan  with  his  cavalry  to  destroy  the  railroads  and  break 
Lee's  communication  with  Richmond.  This  raid  was  success- 
ful in  breaking  railroad  communication  and  in  defeating 
Stuart's  cavalry;  and  cutting  his  way  through  the  country, 
Sheridan  established  his  communications  with  Butler  at 
Bermuda  Hundred. 

General  Grant  followed  ioi mediately  after  this  raid  and 
took  up  a  new  position  at  Guinea  Station.  The  movements  of 
General  Grant  had  caused  great  uneasiness  to  Lee,  who  began 
to  fear  that  his  line  of  communication  would  be  cut  off,  and 
that  Grant  would  make  a  forced  march  and  capture  Richmond. 
He  was  therefore  compelled  to  abandon  his  position  and  push 
on  toward  Richmond.  His  line  of  march  was  only  a  few  miles 
from  that  of  the  Union  forces,  with  whom  he  was  keeping 
abreast.  General  Grant's  army  had  been  increased  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men,  and  as  it  swept  on  irresistibly 
Lee  dared  not  risk  an  attack,  and  could  only  keep  up  with  it  and 
watch  for  some  unguarded  moment  or  some  false  military  move; 
but  Grant  was  not  the  General  to  permit  such  opportunities. 

General  Grant's  plan  of  operations  against  Richmond  had 
been  matured  with  a  view  of  uniting  his  army  with  the  forces 
under  Butler,  whose  movement  began  from  Fortress  Monroe 
and  ended  by  taking  up  a  strong  position  at  Bermuda  Hundred, 


ULYSSES  S.   GRANT.  343 

which  afforded  an  excellent  base  for  operations  against  either 
Petersburg  or  Richmond.  Knowing  that  he  was  sure  of  rein- 
forcements on  the  south  side  of  Richmond,  General  Grant 
pushed  on  with  his  army,  hoping  at  any  moment  to  catch  Lee 
at  a  disadvantage  and  to  crush  him. 

General  Grant  reached  Cool  Arbor  on  the  1st  of  June,  at 
which  point  he  was  within  a  few  miles  of  Richmond  with  his 
line  stretching  nearly  ten  miles,  at  which  point  Lee  made  a  vig- 
orous assault  upon  the  weakest  part  of  the  line,  hoping  to  break 
it;  but  he  was  forced  to  fallback  behind  his  fortifications,  where 
Grant  in  turn  made  an  attack  upon  him  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d.  This  was  a  gigantic  conflict  in  which  three  hundred  thou- 
sand men  were  engaged.  Day  after  day  the  battle  raged  with 
terrible  slaughter,  without  any  particular  ad  vantage  perceptible; 
but  Grant  knew  that  his  blows  were  having  a  distressing  effect 
upon  Lee.  On  the  night  of  the  5th  the  rebels  in  desperation 
charged  upon  the  lines  of  the  Union  Army,  under  support  of  a 
fearful  fire  from  their  heavy  batteries,  but  they  were  met  with 
a  solid  sheet  of  flame  from  our  cannon,  which  poured  forth  the 
most  deadly  volleys  of  grape  and  canister,  sweeping  the  rebels 
away  like  wheat  before  a  sickle.  Appalled  at  the  terrible 
destruction,  the  rebels  turned  and  fled,  leaving  their  dead  on  the 
field. 

On  the  llth  General  Grant  executed  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
moves  of  the  war,  and  while  menacing  Lee  with  skirmishers 
to  conceal  his  object  he  began  a  flank  movement,  and  by  a 
rapid  march  reached  and  crossed  the  James  River,  and  forming 
a  junction  with  General  Butler,  took  up  a  position  south  of 
Richmond.  Scarcely  had  the  junction  been  formed  before 
Grant  began  his  attack  upon  Petersburg. 

Lee  was  completely  outwitted  by  this  movement,  and  had  it 
not  been  for  the  delay  of  General  Grant's  subordinates  in  carry- 
ing out  his  instructions  Lee  would  have  found  the  Union  army 
in  full  possession  of  Petersburg  when  he  arrived.  It  had  not, 
however,  been  taken,  and  he  poured  his  rebels  into  its  fortifica- 
tions until  they  were  bristling  at  every  point  with  bayonets  and 
frowning  with  cannon.  Then  came  the  long,  tedious  siege  and 
daily  terrific  struggles  of  the  two  armies. 


B44  LIVES   O#  OUfe  PRESIDENTS. 

While  battling  with  Lee,  General  Grant  did  not  forget  the 
great  importance  of  destroying  the  railroads  and  cutting  off 
Lee's  communications  with  the  South.  To  effectually  isolate 
Petersburg,  General  Grant  ordered  all  the  cavalry  force  of  his 
army  to  not  only  destroy  communications,  but  to  join  Hunter 
near  Lynchburg,  or  to  push  on  and  unite  with  Sherman  in 
Georgia,  if  the  obstacles  met  were  not  too  formidable. 

All  this  time  General  Grant  was  making  his  position  stronger 
and  weaving  the  net  a  round  Petersburg  that  could  not  be  broken 
through.  To  encourage  him  still  more,  he  heard  of  Sherman's 
success  in  taking  Atlanta,  and  he  knew  that  the  invincible  old 
warrior,  with  his  hundred  thousand  men,  would  soon  be  thun- 
dering toward  the  sea  in  his  march  of  destruction,  and  if  he  only 
hurried  in  his  Northern  march,  he  would  doubtless  be  in  at  the 
death  of  the  rebellion.  Sherman's  march  had  been  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  and  destructive  in  military  history,  and  had 
been  as  irresistible  as  that  of  the  old  Roman  legions.  He  had 
carried  the  war  home  to  the  South,  and  had  not  only  cut  the 
Confederacy  in  two,  but  had  cut  their  communications  and 
destroyed  their  supplies  by  sweeping  a  path  of  desolation  sixty 
miles  wide  and  three  hundred  miles  long,  in  which  railroads 
and  everything  that  could  aid  the  rebellion  were  destroyed,  and 
beef  cattle,  sheep,  hogs,  fowl,  horses  and  mules  captured  for 
the  use  of  the  army. 

At  this  time  it  was  evident  that  Lee  was  contemplating  the 
evacuation  of  Petersburg  and  uniting  with  Johnston;  but  Gen- 
eral Grant  was  on  the  alert  for  such  a  movement  and  ready  to 
pounce  on  the  enemy.  He  fully  realized  that  if  Lee  was  per- 
mitted to  escape  and  form  a  junction  with  Johnston's  army 
they  would  attempt  to  crush  Sherman,  and  he  was  resolved  to 
give  Lee  no  rest  or  opportunity  to  strike  another  blow. 

At  the  first  movement  of  Lee  which  indicated  that  he  had 
commenced  the  evacuation  of  Petersburg,  Grant  hurled  his 
forces  upon  him  and  stormed  his  intrenchments  in  a  terrific 
contest  which  lasted  for  three  days.  On  the  night  of  the  third 
day,  which  was  the  3d  of  April,  1865,  Lee  abandoned  Peters- 
burg and  fled  in  the  vain  attempt  to  save  his  fated  army.  This 
retreat  gave  us  Richmond  and  Petersburg  ;  but  Lee  was  yet  to 


ULYSSES  S.   GRANT.  345 

be  taken,  and  as  he  fled  down  the  north  bank  of  the  Appomattox 
he  was  vigorously  pursued  by  the  victorious  army  of  the 
Union.  With  splendid  military  skill  General  Grant  had  sent 
Sheridan  by  a  shorter  route  to  throw  the  Fifth  Army  Corps 
across  the  path  of  the  rebel  retreat,  and  to  the  consternation  of 
Lee  he  found  himself  surrounded  and  cut  off  from  his  supplies. 
In  every  direction  Sheridan,  Meade,  Ord,  Humphrey  and 
other  generals  of  divisions  were  driving  the  rebels  in  at  every 
attempt  to  escape,  capturing  prisoners,  arms  and  military  stores 
at  almost  every  charge.  The  very  rations  for  the  rebels  had 
been  captured  and  in  their  half  famished  condition  they  lacked 
strength  to  make  further  resistance.  Lee  had  evidently  given 
up  hope  when  he  abandoned  Petersburg,  and  in  anticipation  of 
surrender  had  allowed  his  soldiers  to  drop  out  of  line  along  his 
entire  route  and  return  to  their  homes,  until  at  the  time  he  was 
completely  surrounded  at  Appomattox  Court  House  his  army 
did  not  contain  over  10,000  men  in  line. 

General  Grant,  at  this  point,  with  real  sympathy  for  the  miser- 
able remnant  of  the  once  proud  army,  and  to  save  them  from 
slaughter,  sent  the  following  dispatch  to  General  Lee  : 

"GENERAL  :  The  result  of  the  last  week  must  convince  you  of  the  hopeless- 
ness of  further  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  in  this 
struggle.  I  feel  that  it  is  so,  and  regard  it  as  my  duty  to  shift  from  myself 
the  responsibility  of  any  further  effusion  of  blood,  by  asking  of  you  the  sur- 
render of  that  portion  of  the  Confederate  States  Army  known  as  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia." 

To  this  note  Lee  replied  at  once  asking  for  the  terms  that 
would  be  offered  on  condition  of  surrender. 

la  reply  General  Grant  insisted  upon  but  one  condition, 
namely  :  ' '  That  the  men  and  officers  surrendered  shall  be  dis- 
qualified for  taking  up  arms  against  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  until  properly  exchanged."  To  this  Lee  replied 
in  a  manner  that  indicated  his  desire  to  delay  the  unpleasant 
matter  of  surrender  as  long  as  possible,  and  he  expressed  his 
wish  to  meet  with  General  Grant  rather  more  to  arrange  for 
terms  of  peace  than  for  a  surrender. 

General  Grant,  after  putting  his  troops  in  motion  around 


346  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Appomattox  Court  HOUSP,  so  that  Lee  could  not  mistake  the 
alternative,  sent  the  following  note  : 

"  GENERAL,  :  Your  note  of  yesterday  is  received.  I  have  no  authority  to 
treat  on  the  subject  of  peace;  the  meeting  proposed  for  ten  o'clock  A.  M. 
to-day  could  do  no  good.  I  will  state,  however,  General,  that  I  am  equally 
anxious  for  peace  with  yourself,  and  the  whole  North  entertains  the  same 
feeling.  The  terms  upon  which  peace  can  be  had  are  well  understood.  By 
the  South  laying  down  their  arms  they  will  hasten  that  most  desirable  event, 
save  thousands  of  human  lives  and  hundreds  of  millions  of  property  not  yet 
destroyed.  Seriously  hoping  that  all  our  difficulties  may  be  settled  without 
the  loss  of  another  life,  I  subscribe  myself,"  etc. 

Lee,  knowing  that  the  surrender  was  inevitable,  no  longer 
parlied  for  delay,  but  sought  for  definite  terms  of  surrender 
and  accepted  them. 

Never  before  was  a  surrender  conducted  on  more  honorable 
terms  or  with  kinder  regard  for  the  feelings  of  the  vanquished, 
and  the  exhausted  rebel  soldiers  were  the  first  to  raise  the  wild 
cheer  of  joy  at  the  news  of  the  surrender  ;  then  one  united 
shout  arose  from  the  throats  of  the  Union  army,  which  was 
caught  up  in  a  universal  hurrah  of  triumph  throughout  the  land 
as  soon  as  the  joyful  news  was  heralded  over  the  wires.  Peace 
at  last  !  What  glorious  significance  there  was  in  the  news  I 

The  great  rebellion  was  crushed,  and  it  only  remained  for 
Johnston  to  surrender  to  Sherman,  which  he  did  on  the  25th  of 
April,  and  the  other  rebel  commands  throughout  the  country 
either  to  surrender  to  the  Union  troops  in  their  front  or  to  dis- 
band and  return  to  their  homes,  to  release  our  great  army 
from  further  duty  in  the  field. 

The  world  had  never  before  witnessed  such  a  spectacle  as  the 
quiet,  orderly  and  peaceful  disbanding  and  dispersing  of  such 
an  immense  army,  and  it  gave  an  additional  guarantee  of  the 
stability  of  our  republican  institutions  to  realize  that  fierce 
soldiers  could  so  quickly  be  returned  to  the  arts  of  peace. 

In  token  of  the  high  appreciation  of  the  country  for  the 
noble  and  patriotic  services  of  Lieutenant-General  Grant,  he 
was  on  the  25th  of  July,  1866,  promoted  to  the  rank  of  General, 
the  highest  military  grade  possible  in  our  Army. 

A  still  further  compliment  to  his  ability  was  paid  him  by  his 


ULYSSES  s.  GRANT.  847 

appointment  as  Secretary  of  War  ad  interim,  on  the  12th.  of 
August,  1867.  By  the  reconstruction  acts  of  March,  1867,  mili- 
tary commanders  were  nppointed  for  the  several  districts  into 
which  the  South  was  divided  by  the  acts.  These  commanders 
General  Grant  advised,  in  his  official  instructions,  to  use  great 
moderation  and  kindness  toward  the  people  of  the  South,  and  in 
all  his  duties,  both  as  General  of  the  army  and  Secretary  of 
War,  he  acted  with  excellent  discretion  and  ability. 

It  must  be  said,  in  justice  to  General  Grant,  that  he  did  not 
wish  to  accept  the  office  of  Secretary  of  War,  and  counseled  the 
retaining  of  Mr.  Stanton,  and  it  was  only  when  he  saw  that 
President  Johnson  was  determined  upon  Stanton's  removal 
that  he  accepted  it,  that  it  might  not,  in  his  own  language,  fall 
into  the  hands  of  some  incompetent  or  unpatriotic  person. 

When  President  Johnson,  without  any  reasonable  pretext, 
removed  Generals  Sheridan,  Sickles  and  Pope  from  their  com- 
mands in  the  South,  General  Grant  earnestly  advised  the  Presi- 
dent against  the  unwise  act,  but  when  Johnson  persisted  in  his 
removal  of  the  very  men  whom  General  Grant  had  recom- 
mended for  the  positions,  he  quietly  acquiesced,  and  earnestly 
co-operated  with  the  newly  appointed  commanders  in  the  work 
of  reconstruction. 

One  of  the  most  beneficial  services  he  rendered  the  country 
during  his  exercise  of  the  office,  was  the  reduction  of  various 
expenses,  by  cutting  down  the  number  of  employes  in  the 
Freedman's  Bureau,  also  by  transferring  the  duties  of  the 
Bureaus  of  Rebel  Archives  and  of  exchange  of  prisoners  to  the 
office  of  the  Adjutant-General,  besides  closing  many  depart- 
ments and  offices  which  were  the  outgrowth  of  the  war  and 
whose  sphere  of  usefulness  had  ceased  with  the  war.  In 
various  other  ways  he  cut  down  expenses  connected  with  the 
War  Department. 

When  the  Senate  met  and  refused  to  concur  in  the  removal 
of  Mr.  Stanton,  and  decided  that  he  be  reinstated,  General 
Grant  at  once  quietly  acquiesced  and  relinquished  the  office. 
President  Johnson  asserted  that  General  Grant  had  promised 
that  he  would  in  this  event  either  resign  the  Secretaryship  or 
remain  and  resist  the  reinstatement  of  Mr.  Stanton.  This 


848  LIVES    OF  OttR  PRESIDENTS. 

promise  General  Grant  denied  having  made,  and  this  was  the 
question  of  veracity  between  the  President  and  General  Grant, 
on  which  the  country  generally  stood  by  the  General  of  the 
Army. 

On  the  21st  of  May,  1868,  the  National  Republican  Conven- 
tion, which  met  in  Chicago,  by  acclamation  nominated  General 
Grant  as  their  candidate  for  President  of  the  United  States. 
Just  two  days  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  Convention,  there 
had  been  held  also  in  Chicago  a  convention  of  soldiers  and  sail- 
ors, who  had  unanimously  nominated  General  Grant  as  their 
candidate  for  the  Presidency,  which  was  a  double  indorsement 
of  his  sterling  qualities  and  fitness  for  the  position,  more  espe- 
cially as  many  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  were  War  Democrats. 

To  the  committee  notifying  General  Grant  of  his  nomination 
he  expressed  the  following  sentiments  in  the  concluding  portion 
of  his  speech : 

"  If  elected  to  the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States  it  will  be  my 
endeavor  to  administer  all  the  laws  in  good  faith,  with  economy,  and  with 
the  view  of  giving  peace,  quiet  and  protection  everywhere.  In  times  like 
the  present  it  is  impossible,  or  at  least  eminently  improper,  to  lay  down  a 
policy  to  be  adhered  to,  right  or  wrong,  through  an  administration  of  four 
years.  New  political  issues,  not  foreseen,  are  constant'y  arising  ;  the  views 
of  the  public  on  old  ones  are  constantly  changing  ;  and  a  purely  adminis- 
trative officer  should  always  be  left  free  to  execute  the  will  of  the  people.  I 
always  have  respected  that  will,  and  always  shall.  Peace  and  universal 
prosperity,  ils  sequence,  with  economy  of  administration,  will  lighten  the 
burden  of  taxation,  while  it  constantly  reduces  the  national  debt.  Let  us 
have  peace  1" 

The  Democratic  party  nominated  Horatio  Seymour,  a  very 
popular  man  and  an  able  statesman,  as  their  candidate,  and  the 
contest  was  naturally  an  exciting  one.  General  Grant  received 
at  the  election  3,016,353  of  the  popular  vote  and  Seymour 
2,906,631.  The  electoral  vote  stood  214  for  Grant  and  80  for 
Seymour. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1869,  General  Grant  made  his  inaugural 
address  and  took  the  oath  of  office,  upon  which  he  entered  with 
the  confidence  and  highest  respect  of  the  entire  country  re- 
gardless of  party.  In  the  sentiment  he  had  previously 
uttered,  "  Let  us  have  peace,"  the  white  wings  of  peace  were 


ULYSSES  S.    GRANT.  349 

hovering  over  the  land,  and  the  swords  had  been  beaten  into 
plowshares. 

There  were,  however,  many  difficulties  presenting  themselves 
in  his  administration.  Some  of  the  Southern  States  were  still 
undergoing  reconstruction,  while  many  political  difficulties 
were  constantly  presenting  themselves.  One  very  important 
question  was  that  of  the  welfare  of  the  f reedmen  who  had  been 
cast  upon  the  generosity  of  the  government  to  work  out  their 
political  equality  in  the  land,  and  to  educate  them  and  prepare 
them  for  self-support.  Besides  there  were  the  usual  intricacies 
of  foreign  relations,  and  many  issues  of  a  local  and  sectional  as 
well  as  general  interest  to  be  disposed  of,  which  have  puzzled 
many  a  wise  statesman. 

But  such  was  General  Grant's  uniform  and  satisfactory 
administration  of  the  executive  office  that  he  was  nominated 
for  re-election  by  the  National  Republican  Convention  in  1872, 
and  at  the  election  he  received  292  electoral  votes,  which  placed 
him  in  the  executive  chair  for  a  second  term. 

General  Grant  had  long  desired  to  make  an  extensive  tour  of 
foreign  countries,  and  at  the  close  of  his  second  term  he 
resolved  to  put  his  plans  into  execution.  Starting  soon  after 
on  a  tour  around  the  world,  he  visited  England,  France,  Ger- 
many, Austria,  Russia,  Switzerland,  Belgium,  Italy  Spain, 
Turkey,  India  and  China, 

Everywhere  he  traveled  he  received  the  highest  courtesies 
and  most  perfect  ovations.  His  fame  had  reached  the  remot- 
est ends  of  the  eaiih,  and  men  who  could  not  speak  a  word  of 
our  language  gathered  to  do  him  honor. 

On  his  return  he  again  became  one  of  the  citizens  of  our 
great  republic,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  various  business 
pursuits,  having  been  one  of  the  most  active  promoters  of  the 
proposed  lines  of  railroads  in  Mexico. 

He  died  at  Mount  McGregor,  N.  Y.,  July  23d,  18.85. 


RUTHERFORD     B.     HAYES. 


The  subject  of  this  biography  descends  from  an  ancient 
Scotch  family,  said  to  be  traced  back  to  two  Scottish  chieftains 
named  Rutherford  and  Hayes,  who  fought  with  Wallace  and 
Bruce,  but,  with  the  varying  fortunes  of  the  land  of  hills  and 
heather,  the  estates  of  the  family  passed  into  other  hands,  and 
they  were  scattered  in  other  localities. 

The  American  branch  of  the  family  dates  back  to  George 
Hayes,  who  came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Windham, 
Conn.,  in  1682,  where  he  engaged  in  making  wagons  and  other 
useful  articles  in  wood  and  iron.  His  son  Daniel  having  been 
captured  by  Indians  in  1712,  it  cost  the  Colonial  government 
seven  pounds  to  ransom  him,  or  the  family  would  probably 
have  been  cut  short  at  that  point,  and  turned  the  Presidential 
succession  in  this  country  in  another  direction.  After  being 
ransomed  he  did  his  duty  to  his  country  by  marrying  Sarah 
Lee.  Ezekiel,  the  son  of  this  marriage,  was  born  in  1824,  and 
gave  to  the  country  the  first  Eutherford  Hayes,  who  combined 
the  three  industries  of  farming,  blacksmithing  and  keeping 
tavern.  His  son  Rutherford,  who  was  father  of  President 
Hayes,  was  born  in  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  where  he  became  an.  ex- 
cellent citizen  and  a  prosperous  merchant. 

Being  tempted  toward  the  great  West,  which  was  then  becom- 
ing so  attractive  to  emigrants,  he  removed  to  Delaware,  Ohio, 
with  his  wife  and  children  and  a  brother  of  his  wife's,  named 
Sardis  Birchard.  Here,  as  in  Vermont,  he  became  a  promi- 
nent citizen  and  prospered  in  business.  His  life  in  Ohio,  how- 
ever, was  short,  for  five  years  afterward  he  died  of  typhoid 
fever.  Three  months  after  his  death  a  son  was  born  to  the 
widow,  whom  she  named  Rutherford  Birchard  Hayes,  after  her 
departed  husband  and  brother.  This  son  is  the  subject  of  our 


352  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

biography.  The  particular  date  of  his  birth  was  the  4th  of 
October,  1822. 

Rutherford,  for  months  after  his  birth,  was  so  sickly  that  he 
was  not  expected  to  live,  but  through  his  mother's  assiduous 
care  he  improved  in  health  and  became  stronger,  until  his 
chances  of  life  were  equal  to  those  of  other  children.  When 
he  was  but  three  years  old  his  only  brother  was  drowned,  and 
then  he  became  more  precious  to  his  mother  than  ever. 

Mrs.  Hayes  had  been  left  in  comfortable  circumstances  by 
her  husband  at  his  death,  with  a  good  brick  dwelling  in  the 
town  of  Delaware  and  a  farm  from  which  she  drew  her  in- 
come. Some  of  the  sweetest  recollections  of  the  ex-President 
are  of  those  childhood  days,  when  he  went  to  the  old  farm  in 
fruit  time  and  the  roasting-ear  and  watermelon  season,  and 
later  in  the  fall  when  the  frost  was  rattling  down  the  hickory 
nuts  and  walnuts.  These  early  joys  were  shared  with  him  by 
his  sister,  who  was  two  years  his  senior.  This  sister  was  inval- 
uable to  him  in  his  studies  and  assisted  him  and  studied  the 
same  books  with  him  at  home  and  at  school  until  he  was  four- 
teen years  old,  when  he  went  to  the  Norwalk,  Ohio,  Academy 
for  two  years,  and  then,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  entered  Kenyon 
College,  Ohio,  from,  which  he  graduated  in  1842. 

Tt  is  said  of  young  Hayes  that  he  was  amiable  at  school,  atten- 
tive to  his  studies  and  very  observant  of  the  rules  of  the  college. 

Returning  home  for  a  few  weeks  after  his  graduation  he  then 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Sparrow  &  Matthews 
at  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  ten  months,  when  it 
was  decided  to  complete  his  studies  in  the  Law  Department  of 
Harvard  College  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where  he  graduated  at 
the  end  of  two  years.  Returning  to  Ohio  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Marietta,  from  whence  he  went  to  Fremont  and  be- 
gan the  practice  of  law  as  a  partner  of  Ralph  P.  Buckland.  It 
will  never  be  known  how  extensive  a  practice  would  have  re- 
sulted from  this  partnership,  for  Mr.  Hayes'  health  broke  down 
from  the  long  mental  strain  at  college  and  in  the  law  school, 
during  all  which  time  he  had  taken  no  rest  or  recreation.  It 
became  necessary,  therefore,  for  him  to  relinquish  practice  for 
a  time  and  recruit  his  failing  health. 


RUTHERFORD    B    HAYES.  353 

His  first  intention  was  to  become  a  volunteer  in  the  Mexican 
War,  but  his  physician  forbade  a  trip  South  and  insisted  on 
his  going  to  a  Northern  climate.  Obeying  his  medical  adviser, 
he  passed  the  summer  in  New  England  and  Canada,  roughing 
it  in  the  woods  and  mountains,  hunting  and  fishing,  and  part 
of  the  time  camping  out.  Returning  restored  in  health,  he 
then  paid  a  visit  to  an  old  college  chum  in  Texas,  where  he 
freely  enjoyed  the  free  wild  life  of  the  ranch. 

On  his  return  from  Texas,  in  1849,  he  decided  to  settle  in 
Cincinnati  and  resume  the  practice  of  the  law  in  that  city. 
Here  he  formed  a  new  law  partnership,  and  while  slowly 
building  up  a  practice,  was  carefully  reviewing  his  legal  studies. 
Here  his  first  important  case  was  as  attorney  for  the  defense  of 
a  woman  named  Nancy  Farrer,  who  had  poisoned  a  number  of 
persons.  Sir.  Hayes  was  appointed  to  the  defense  by  the  Court, 
and  he  at  once  entered  a  plea  of  insanity,  and  so  persistently 
clung  to  it  by  able  arguments  and  citation  of  precedents  that 
he  landed  his  client  in  the  lunatic  asylum  instead  of  on  the 
gallows.  This  was  such  a  remarkable  ca5e  that  his  success  at 
once  secured  reputation  and  popularity  for  our  young  lawyer, 
and  after  that  clients  and  fees  were  more  plentiful. 

He  now,  like  most  young  men  when  they  find  themselves  es- 
tablished in  a  lucrative  business,  looked  about  him  for  some 
worthy  young  lady  as  a  companion  and  helpmeet,  and  having 
found  the  object  of  his  choice,  he  was  on  the  30th  of  December, 
1852,  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lucy  Ware  Webb,  of  Cin- 
cinnati. This  estimable  lady  has  made  him  one  of  the  noblest 
of  wives,  as  all  know  who  ever  visited  the  White  House  while 
she  presided  over  it.  After  this  marriage  Mr.  Hayes  rapidly 
developed  his  noblest  traits  of  character.  At  about  the  same 
time  he  joined  the  Literary  Club  of  Cincinnati,  in  which  he 
became  intimate  with  Salmon  P.  Chase,  Thomas  Corwin,  Gen- 
eral Ewing,  James  Hoadley  and  other  able  men  of  literature, 
law  and  politics. 

Mr.  Hayes  was  formerly  a  Whig  but  joined  the  Republican 
party  soon  after  its  formation,  when  he  realized  that  the  Whig 
party  had  outlived  its  usefulness.  Its  old  issues  were  no  longer 
the  existing  ones  before  the  country.  Slavery  had  become  the 


354  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

absorbing  political  question  of  the  day,  and  in  1856  we  find 
Mr.  Hayes  supporting  Fremont,  the  Republican  candidate  for 
the  Presidency. 

In  1853  Mr,  Hayes  was  chosen  by  the  City  Council  of  Cincin- 
nati as  City  Solicitor,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  his  performance  of 
ihe  duties  of  that  office  were  indorsed  by  his  re-election  a  few 
montbs  later. 

In  1860,  he  gave  his  full  support  to  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
watched  with  the  keenest  interest  the  turn  of  political  events. 
On  the  subject  of  secession  he  expressed  the  sentiment  that  if 
the  threats  were  really  meant,  it  was  time  the  Union  was  dis- 
solved or  the  traitors  crushed  out. 

At  last  the  moment  of  supreme  excitement  came.  The  news 
flashed  over  the  wires  that  Fort  Sumter  had  fallen,  and  in  the 
wild  outburst  of  popular  indignation,  and  the  grand  uprising  of 
the  people,  Mr.  Hayes  stood  foremost  among  the  citizens  of 
Cincinnati  in  speeches  and  resolutions  calculated  to  thrill  th<> 
public  with  a  sense  of  the  enormity  of  the  treason,  and  the 
necessity  of  stamping  it  out.  On  the  15th  of  May  he  wrote  as 
follows  : 

"  Judge  Matthews  and  I  have  agreed  to  go  into  the  service 
for  the  war  ;  if  possible,  in  the  same  regiment.  I  spoke  my 
feelings  to  him,  which  he  said  were  his  own  :  that  this  was  a 
Just  and  necessary  war,  that  it  demanded  the  whole  power  of 
the  country,  and  that  I  would  prefer  to  go  into  it  if  I  knew  I 
was  to  be  killed  in  the  course  of  it,  rather  than  to  live  through 
and  after  it  without  taking  part  in  it." 

Immediately  after  this  they  together  enlisted  and  almost 
immediately  a  Colonel's  commission  was  sent  to  him  through 
the  influence  of  Secretary  Chase,  but  Mr.  Hayes,  realizing  his 
military  unfitness  for  such  a  responsibility,  declined  the  com- 
mission, saying  that  he  desired  a  position  in  a  capacity  less  re- 
sponsible. He  was  then  appointed  Major  of  the  Twenty-third 
Ohio  Volunteers,  and  he  at  once  went  into  camp  at  Columbus 
with  the  regiment.  Here  they  remained  training  in  comfort  and 
tranquillity  until  news  of  the  crushing  defeat  at  Bull  Run 
aroused  the  government  to  the  necessity  of  pushing  troops  to 
the  front  from  all  the  training  regiments,  and  in  this  general 


RUTHERFORD  B.    HAYES.  855 

activity  the  Twenty-third  Ohio  was  ordered  to  West  Virginia, 
to  guard  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  and  for  skirmish  duty 
in  preventing  rebel  raids.  Here  the  regiment  was  kept  busy  in 
hunting  and  driving  out  bands  of  guerrillas  who  were  plunder- 
ing and  murdering  the  people  of  West  Virginia. 

The  first  real  engagement  in  which  the  regiment  participated 
was  in  the  fight  with  Floyd  at  the  battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry.  In 
this  engagement  Major  Hayes  was  ordered  with  four  companies 
of  the  regiment  to  make  a  flank  movement  on  the  enemy.  This 
order  Major  Hayes  executed  without  any  special  instructions, 
and  forming  his  men  into  a  skirmishing  line,- put  them  under  the 
fire  of  the  enemy  as  coolly  as  if  he  were  preparing  to  argue  a 
case  in  court.  The  victory  over  Floyd  was  so  complete  that 
nothing  but  night  saved  his  army  from  capture.  This  success 
gave  confidence  to  the  regiment  and  some  little  experience  to 
Major  Hayes. 

After  this  battle  Major  Hayes  was  ordered  to  the  head- 
quarters of  General  Rosecrans  to  serve  on  his  staff  as  Judge- 
Advocate.  On  his  return  to  his  regiment  six  weeks  later,  he 
found  that  the  lieutenant-colonel  had  resigned,  and  Major 
Hayes  was  promoted  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  winter  was 
passed  by  the  regiment  at  Camp  Ewing,  with  only  an  occasional 
raid  and  skirmish  with  the  enemy.  On  the  1st  of  May  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Hayes  led  in  a  charge  upon  the  rebel  fortifica- 
tions at  Princeton.  So  impetuous  was  the  charge  that  he 
carried  the  enemy's  works,  and  they  fled,  leaving  the  place  in 
possession  of  the  gallant  Twenty-third  regiment.  The  rebels, 
however,  on  the  8th  of  the  month,  four  thousand  strong, 
attacked  the  Twenty -third,  which  with  five  hundred  cavalry 
and  a  battery  of  light  artillery  was  under  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Hayes  at  Giles  Court  House,  compelling  him  to 
fall  back.  This  movement  required  the  best  military  judg- 
ment and  bravery  to  prevent  the  capture  of  the  entire  com- 
mand, but  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hayes  threw  out  skirmishers 
and  kept  the  pursuing  enemy  at  a  distance,  while  he  retreated 
in  excellent  order  and  reached  the  main  line  of  the  army  in 
safety.  In  the  retreat  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hayes  was  slightly 
wounded  by  a  piece  of  shell. 


3o6  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

The  regiment  was  then  ordered  to  Washington  to  join 
McClellan's  army,  where  it  reported  on  the  13th  of  September; 
it  was  sent  to  the  front,  where  it  arrived  in  time  to  engage  in  the 
battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam.  The  battle  began  with 
the  advance  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hayes'  command,  which  was 
ordered  to  advance  by  a  mountain  path  and  attack  the  rebels  on 
i he  right  flank.  The  regiment  was  in  General  Cox's  Division, 
and  the  advance  on  the  rebel  flank  was  opposed  by  General  Gar- 
land, who  was  killed  and  his  troops  swept  away  by  the  im- 
petuous charge,  until  Longstreet,  with  fresh  troops  posted 
behind  strong  intrenchments,  drove  back  the  Union  forces 
until  they  were  reinforced.  Here  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hayes 
was  exposed  to  a  fire  so  terrific  that  almost  every  blade  of  grass 
was  cut  away  and  nearly  every  leaf  stripped  from  the  trees, 
while  grape  and  canister  cut  fearful  swathes  in  the  ranks,  and 
everywhere  the  men  were  going  down  before  the  hail  of  death. 
It  was  while  surrounded  by  this  awful  carnage  that  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hayes,  in  leading  his  men  over  rocks,  logs  and  broken 
ground,  was  struck  down  by  a  ball  that  shattered  his  left  arm, 
and  was  left  on  the  field  while  his  regiment  charged  ahead. 
Being  forced  to  fall  back,  they  were  leaving  him  between  them 
and  the  rebels,  when  he  shouted  out :  "  Halloo,  Twenty-third 
Ohio !  Are  you  going  to  leave  your  Colonel  here  for  the 
enemy  ?  "  At  this  a  number  of  brave  boys  rushed  back,  but  the 
fire  of  the  rebels  became  so  hot  that  he  ordered  his  soldiers  not 
to  expose  themselves.  Then  one  of  his  Lieutenants  came  and 
assisted  him  out  of  range  of  the  fire,  and  left  him  behind  a  log 
in  company  with  a  wounded  rebel  Major.  By  this  time  rein- 
forcements arrived,  and  the  Twenty-third  Ohio,  in  command 
of  the  Major,  charged  the  enemy  and  drove  them  from  the  hill 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

When  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hayes  was  at  last  placed  in  charge 
of  the  surgeon,  his  condition  was  serious,  and  grave  fears  were 
entertained  that  he  would  not  survive.  While  he  was  not 
aware  of  his  dangerous  condition,  he  was  only  solicitous  about 
saving  his  arm,  which  had  been  so  badly  shattered  that  part  of 
the  bone  was  shot  away.  While  in  this  condition,  his  wife, 
with  the  love  and  devotion  of  a  woman,  was  hunting  for  him 


RUTHERFORD    B.   HAYES.  351? 

among  all  the  farm-houses  and  barns  for  twenty  miles  around,  to 
which  the  wounded  had  been  carried.  At  last  she  found  him 
in  an  old  dilapidated  building.  The  wonderful  vitality  of  the 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  and,  doubtless,  too,  the  presence  of  Mrs. 
Hayes,  carried  him  through,  and  his  arm  was  healing  so  rapidly 
without  amputation,  that  he  sent  word  to  the  Governor  of  Ohio, 
"Tell  Governor  Todd  that  I'll  be  on  hand  again  shortly." 

While  still  in  the  hospital,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hayes  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-third  Ohio,  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  promotion  of  Colonel  Scammon  to 
Bri  gadier-General. 

In  October,  1862,  the  Twenty-third  Ohio  went  into  winter  quar- 
ters at  the  falls  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  to  recruit  their  strength 
and  numbers.  Here  they  were  rejoined  by  Colonel  Hayes  ;  and 
although  his  arm  was  still  so  tender  that  he  could  not  raise  it 
to  his  head,  he  went  about  the  camp  constantly,  looking  after 
the  welfare  of  the  men  and  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  camp, 
which  had  been  made  a  model  of  comfort  with  its  neat  little 
cabins.  The  quarters  were  called  "Camp  Lucy  Hayes,"  in 
honor  of  Mrs.  Hayes,  who  came  for  the  winter  with  the  chil- 
dren, and  passed  her  time  in  the  hospital,  caring  for  the 
sick. 

On  the  15th  of  March  the  division  was  ordered  to  break  camp 
and  march  to  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  from  which  point  they 
raided  Virginia  and  destroyed  many  rebel  military  stores,  be- 
sides capturing  a  number  of  prisoners.  From  this  point 
Colonel  Hayes  was  ordered  to  Southwestern  Virginia  to  break  the 
railroad  communication.  The  expedition,  after  many  hardships 
and  dangers,  succeded  in  its  object  and  returned  about  the  mid- 
dle of  July,  just  in  time  for  Colonel  Hayes  to  start  in  pursuit  of 
Morgan,  who  was  returning  south  from  his  raid  into  Indiana 
and  Ohio.  Ordering  two  steamboats  from  Charleston  up  the 
Kanawha  and  receiving  consent  for  the  expedition  from  the 
General  of  the  division,  Colonel  Hayes  embarked  on  the  boat  with 
two  regiments  and  a  section  of  artillery.  On  reaching  Pomeroy, 
Ohio,  he  found  the  military  drawn  up  in  line  waiting  for 
Morgan's  arrival.  Colonel  Hayes  was  not  only  waiting  for  him 
also,  but  he  went  to  meet  him,  and  after  a  spirited  little  engage- 


858  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

merit,  Morgan  fled  with  the  Twenty-third  at  his  heels.  The 
next  morning  Colonel  Hayes  was  reinforced  by  Judah's  cavalry 
and  the  gunboats,  and  resuming  the  fight  with  Morgan,  the  latter 
was  routed  with  a  loss  of  half  his  men,  followed  soon  after  by 
the  capture  of  the  remainder,  including  Morgan  himself.  This 
defeat  and  capture  of  the  rebel  raider  was  plainly  the  result  of 
the  expedition  planned  by  Colonel  Hayes,  without  which  early 
movement  it  is  probable  Morgan  would  have  escaped. 

After  this  tbe  Twenty-third  Regiment,  together  with  the 
other  troops  over  which  Colonel  Hayes  was  in  command  as 
acting  Brigadier-General,  returned  to  Charleston,  where  they 
remained  until  April,  1864,  at  which  time  they  were  ordered 
to  join  General  Crook  in  a  raid  for  the  purpose  of  destroying 
the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Railroad  by  burning  the  bridge 
over  New  River.  The  march  was  one  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult that  could  possibly  be  accomplished :  over  mountains, 
through  ravines,  with  torrents  and  swollen  streams  and  dense  for- 
ests, almost  impassable  with  snow  and  ice  and  rain.  Just  before 
reaching  the  railroad,  they  found  a  rebel  force  posted  in  a  strong 
position  on  the  mountain  ridge  over  which  they  were  compelled 
to  pass.  The  rebel  position  was  bristling  with  three  lines  of  the 
most  formidable  fortifications,  which  must  be  taken.  This 
position  Colonel  Hayes  was  ordered  to  take  by  assault.  Form- 
ing his  men  at  the  edge  of  the  meadow,  he  charged  across  the 
open  field  under  a  fierce  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  dashing  through 
a  stream  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  his  soldiers  climbed  over 
rocks  and  fallen  timber  until  they  reached  a  slight  shelter  under 
the  edge  of  the  cliff.  Halting  there  only  long  enough  to  reform 
his  lines,  Colonel  Hayes  ordered  the  fearful  charge  up  the 
almost  perpendicular  sides  of  the  mountain,  with  the  terrible 
hail  of  musketry  and  cannon  playing  on  them  with  deadly 
effect.  Knowing  that  the  quicker  they  got  into  the  enemy's 
works  the  fewer  Union  soldiers  would  be  sacrificed,  they  raised 
a  wild  yell  and  rusho  d  so  furiously  up  the  steep  h)liside  that 
they  were  pouring  over  the  breastworks  before  the  rebels  could 
comprehend  the  situation.  The  rebels  rushed  panic-stricken 
from  their  first  lines,  with  the  Union  soldiers  after  them  to  pre- 
vent them  from  reforming  on  the  second  crest.  Here  a  fierce 


RUTHERFORD  B.   HAYES.  359 

hand-to-hand  fight  of  a  few  minutes  followed,  when  the  rebels 
again  retreated  to  their  last  line,  and  fought  with  desperation 
until  they  were  again  overwhelmed  and  fled  rapidly  down  the 
mountain  and  disappeared  in  the  heavy  timber  on  the  oppo- 
site side. 

General  Crook  now  hastened  his  troops  to  the  New  River 
Bridge,  which  they  burned,  together  with  the  railroad  ties,  for 
several  mile:-,  thereby  destroying  the  rebel  communica- 
tion in  that  direction.  The  expedition  having  accom- 
plished its  purpose,  immediately  set  out  on  its  return  before 
reinforcements  of  the  enemy  could  cut  off  its  retreat,  and 
after  a  wretched  march  through  torrents  of  rain  and  flooded 
roads  and  streams,  they  arrived  at  Staunton  on  the  8th  of  June, 
where  Colonel  Hayes'  brigade  joined  Hunter's  command. 

At  the  attack  on  Lexington  on  the  llth,  Colonel  Hayes' 
brigade  led  the  advance  and  deserved  great  credit  in  the  cap- 
ture of  the  town  after  a  three-hours'  fight.  On  the  14th  he  ad- 
vanced within  one  or  two  miles  of  Lynchburg,  and  engaged  a 
body  of  rebels,  whom  he  defeated.  On  the  18th  the  regular 
attack  on  Lynchburg  was  made  by  Hunter  in  front  and  Crook 
in  the  rear,  but  heavy  reinforcements  having  been  sent  from 
Richmond,  the  Federal  forces  were  compelled  to  fall  back. 
Hayes'  brigade  was  ordered  to  cover  the  retreat,  and,  although 
they  had  been  two  nights  without  sleep  and  almost  without 
food,  they  bravely  performed  their  duty,  fighting  all  day  and 
remaining  awake  at  night  to  prevent  surprise.  On  the  20th 
Hayes  took  possession  of  Buford's  Gap,  and  held  it  all  day, 
thereby  keeping  back  a  body  of  rebels  who  intended  shelling 
the;  retreating  army  from  the  heights.  At  Big  Se wall  Mountain 
"Hayes'  Brigade  obtained  the  first  food  and  rest  since  the  retreat 
**>gan,  having  performed  almost  superhuman  services. 

"Aching  Charleston  on  the  1st  of  July,  Crook's  command 
"tested  until  the  10th,  when  it  was  ordered  to  oppose  the  ad- 
vance of  Early  into  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  When  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Harper's  Ferry,  Hayes  was  sent,  on  the  18th, 
with  his  brigade  and  a  howitzer  battery  to  reconnoitre  Early's 
movements,  and  being  surrounded  by  rebel  cavalry,  fought  his 
way  out  and  joined  Crook  at  Winchester,  on  the  22d. 


360  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

To  prevent  Early  from  reinforcing  Lee,  General  Crook's  divi- 
sion was  kept  busy  making  raids  and  harassing  Early  at  every 
available  point,  and  Hayes'  brigade  always  seemed  to  be  the 
favorite  one  selected  for  movements  of  this  kind.  Upon  one  of 
these  occasions,  Hayes  was  sent  out  with  his  brigade  to  co- 
operate with  another  brigade,  under  Colonel  Mulligan,  in  an 
attack  upon  an  advancing  body  of  rebels.  As  the  two  brigades 
advanced  upon  the  enemy,  they  could  only  see  a  line  or  two  of 
skirmishers,  and  supposed  the  rebel  movement  to  be  only  a  re- 
connoissance,  but  great  was  their  surprise  to  find  the  rebels 
massed  in  great  force  on  the  hills,  between  which  the  commands 
of  Hayes  and  Mulligan  were  hemmed.  They  saw  at  once  that 
it  was  fight  or  surrender,  and  fight  they  did.  Almost  at  the 
first  fire  Colonel  Mulligan  was  killed,  and  the  rebels  closed  in 
upon  the  apparently  doomed  Union  forces,  but  Colonel  Hayes 
quickly  fe.ll  back  to  a  thick  wood,  where  he  formed  his  men  and 
poured  such  a  deadly  volley  into  the  enemy  that  he  held  them 
at  bay,  and  disconcerting  them  by  his  firm  resistance,  he  con- 
tinued his  retreat,  and  for  twelve  miles  held  the  enemy  in  check 
by  turning  when  closely  pressed  and  pouring  a  volley  into  their 
rank?.  In  this  way  Colonel  Hayes  reached  Crook's  forces  with 
the  two  brigades. 

After  this  Hayes's  brigade  was  kept  busy  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  and  on  the  23d  of  August  he  executed  his  most  brilliant 
charge  at  Halltown,  and  captured  entire  a  South  Carolina 
regiment,  which  so  completely  surprised  the  rebels  that  they 
exclaimed :  "  Who  the are  you-uns  ?" 

Colonel  Hayes  again  engaged  in  a  hot  battle  on  the  3d  of 
September  at  Berryville.  Here  his  brigade  drove  back  with 
great  slaughter  a  strong  force  from  Longstreet's  Division. 
Colonel  Hayes  had  posted  his  men  behind  a  low  stone  wall 
along  the  line  of  the  turnpike,  and  as  the  enemy  charged,  the 
Hayes  brigade  rose  with  a  wild  shout  and  poured  a  deadly 
volley  into  the  ranks  of  the  discomfited  enemy,  and  then  they 
charged  the  rebels,  who  in  great  disorder  fled  to  their  main 
body,  which  in  turn  chased  Hayes'  command  to  the  cover  of 
the  woods. 

On  the  19th  of  September  Colonel  Hayes  accomplished  one 


RUTHERFORD  B.   HAYES.  S61 

of  the  most  daring  services  at  the  battle  of  Winchester. 
General  Crook's  division  was  ordered  to  advance  on  the  enemy's 
extreme  right.  In  the  charge  Hayes's  Brigade  was  in  front 
and  with  a  line  of  skirmishers  he  drove  back  the  enemy's 
cavalry  while  his  brigade  marched  across  the  open  fields.  When 
they  reached  an  elevation  in  the  field  they  were  in  plain  view 
of  the  enemy,  who  began  pouring  a  brisk  artillery  fire  into  their 
ranks.  Ordering  his  men  on  the  double  quick,  Colonel  Hayes 
pushed  through  the  underbrush,  and  to  his  surprise  came  upon 
a  deep  slough  or  miry  creek  forty  or  fifty  yards  wide.  The 
rebels  never  supposed  that  a  body  of  troops  would  attempt  to  go 
through  the  dark  water  and  dangerous  mud  of  this  slough,  but 
Colonel  Hayes  saw  at  a  glance  that  the  rebel  battery  beyond 
was  almost  unsupported,  and,  plunging  into  the  horrible  filth, 
he  and  his  horse  for  a  moment  disappeared  from  sight,  but 
struggling  to  the  surface,  the  horse  swam  and  dragged  himself 
through  the  deepest  wj.ter  until  he  mired  and  sank  down  on 
the  opposite  side.  Here  Colonel  Hayes  turned  and  waved  his 
cap  for  his  brigade  to  follow.  With  a  yell  they  followed  their 
brave  commander,  and  while  many  were  mired  or  drowned, 
the  remainder  crossed  in  safety  and  poured  over  the  rebel 
intrenchments,  where  they  captured  a  number  of  prisoners, 
but  could  not  secure  the  battery,  which  had  been  hastily  with- 
drawn. Colonel  Hayes  then  formed  bis  brigade  on  the  ground 
taken  from  the  enemy,  and,  assisted  by  Sheridan's  cavalry, 
which  had  crossed  at  the  end  of  the  slough,  the  brigade  charged 
the  rebel  lines,  and,  supported  by  Crook's  main  force,  they 
carried  the  day  and  swept  the  rebels  from  the  field. 

The  next  day  occurred  the  battle  of  Fisher's  Hill.  After  the 
defeat  of  the  day  previous  the  rebels  retreated  to  a  narrow  de- 
file in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  commanded  by  the  mountain 
ridge  called  Fisher's  Hill,  which  they  fortified  and  believed  to  be 
impregnable.  This  position  Crook  and  Sheridan  decided  could 
be  taken  by  turning  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy.  The  army 
was  at  once  put  in  motion,  and  after  the  most  difficult  march- 
ing and  clambering  over  rocks  and  through  ravines,  they  came 
in  sight  of  the  rebels,  and,  ordering  the  charge,  Hayes 
galloped  down  on  the  rebels  with  the  army  yelling  at  his  heels. 


362  LIVES   OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

The  charge  was  made  with  such  a  dare-devil  rush  that  the 
rebels,  without  firing  a  gun,  rushed  panic-stricken  from  their 
intrenchments,  leaving  every  gun  behind. 

On  the  19th  of  October,  Early  having  reorganized  his  com- 
mand and  received  reinforcements,  engaged  Crook's  and 
Sheridan's  commands,  during  the  absence  of  General  Sheridan, 
and  most  disastrously  defeated  them,  driving  them  back  in  the 
greatest  disorder.  Colonel  Hayes  acted  with  the  greatest 
bravery  and  coolness,  and,  keeping  his  lines  unbroken,  fell  back 
stubbornly  before  the  enemy. 

During  this  brave  and  stubborn  resistance  Colonel  Hayes  was 
at  one  time  left  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  who  seemed 
to  concentrate  their  hail  of  lead  around  him.  Galloping  away 
at  full  speed,  his  horse  was  suddenly  struck  down  dead,  riddled 
bv  bullets.  His  fall  was  so  sudden  that  Colonel  Hayes  was 
thrown  over  his  head,  badly  bruising  himself  and  dislocating 
his  ankle.  Watching  his  chance,  just  after  a  shower  of  bul- 
lets fell  around  him,  he  jumped  up  and  hastily  hobbled  to  the 
lines  of  his  brigade,  where  he  mounted  another  horse  and  kept 
his  men  firing  at  the  enemy. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  dash  on  the  road,  and  Sheridan  was 
seen  furiously  advancing  on  his  magnificent  black  horse,  which 
was  streaming  with  perspiration  and  flaked  with  foam,  and  as 
he  reached  the  disordered  ranks,  he  said  :  ' '  Boys,  this  would 
never  have  happened  if  I  had  been  here,"  and  at  once  he  began 
to  form  the  broken  lines  and  prepare  for  a  wild  charge  upon 
the  enemy  The  history  of  that  charge  is  known  to  almost 
eveiy  one,  and  a  splendid  victory  wiped  out  the  defeat  and 
swept  the  rebels  from  the  valley.  Nearly  all  their  supplies  were 
captured  and  all  that  we  had  previously  lost  retaken. 

After  the  gallant  conduct  of  Colonel  Hayes  in  this  battle 
Sheridan  said  to  him  :  "  You  will  be  a  Brigadier- General  from 
this  time,"  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  after  that  he  received 
his  promotion,  which  specified  that  it  was  "for  gallant  and 
meritorious  services  in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill 
and  Cedar  Creek."  Later  he  received  the  commission  of  a 
Brevet  Major-General  as  a  reward  for  the  same  and  other  gal- 
lant services  rendered  during  the  war. 


RUTHERFORD  B.   HAYES.  363 

During  the  time  Colonel  Hayes  was  in  the  hottest  of  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  campaign  he  was  nominated  for  Congress 
by  the  Republicans  of  his  district  in  Cincinnati.  His  friends 
wrote  to  him  that  he  ought  to  be  present  in  Cincinnati  to  insure 
his  election.  To  this  he  replied  :  "An  officer  fit  for  duty,  who  at 
this  crisis  would  abandon  his  post  to  electioneer  for  Congress, 
ought  to  be  scalped.  You  may  feel  perfectly  sure  I  shall  do  no 
such  thing.1'  So  while  he  remained  at  his  post  and  fought,  his 
friends  elected  him  to  Congress.  Shortly  after  this  the  war 
ended,  and  sending  in  his  resignation,  Mr.  Hayes  returned  home 
to  Cincinnati,  and  in  the  following  December  took  his  seat  in 
Congress,  where  he  became  an  industrious  worker.  He  was 
appointed  chairman  of  the  Library  Committee,  and  by  his  exer- 
tions secured  a  large  increase  of  the  Library  of  Congress. 
Having  done  his  duty  in  many  other  works  during  his  term,  he 
was  re-elected  for  the  next  term  by  a  gain  over  his  first  vote. 

It  was  his  intention,  at  the  end  of  his  second  term,  to  retire  to 
his  uncle's  farm  at  Fremont,  but  he  reluctantly  accepted  the 
nomination  for  Governor  of  Ohio  in  1867,  upon  the  issue  of  the 
reconstruction  measures.  His  opponent  was  Mr.  Thurman,  and 
the  Republican  party  regarded  General  Hayes  as  the  strongest 
man  they  could  put  up  against  him.  As  a  proof  of  Hayes'  per- 
sonal popularity,  he  was  elected  Governor,  while  the  Legisla- 
ture and  Constitutional  Amendment  were  lost  by  fifty  thousand 
majority. 

In  1 869  General  Hayes  was  renominated  by  the  Republican 
convention  by  acclamation,  and  was  elected  over  Mr.  Pendle- 
ton,  the  Democratic  candidate.  At  the  end  of  this  term  he  ex- 
pressed his  desire  to  withdraw  from  political  life,  and  wrote  to 
a  friend,  saying  :  "  I,  too,  mean  to  be  out  of  politics.  The  rati- 
fication of  the  fifteenth  amendment  gives  me  the  boon  of 
equality  before  the  law,  terminates  my  enlistment  and  dis- 
charges me  cured." 

His  friends  were  not  willing  for  him  to  retire  from  public 
services,  and  in  1872  he  was  again  nominated  for  Congress  in 
his  old  district.  Reluctantly  he  entered  the  canvass  and  made 
a  number  of  excellent  speeches,  but  the  opposition  had  grown 
too  strong  for  Republican  success,  and  he  was  defeated. 


364  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

General  Grant  now  offered  him  the  position  of  Assistant 
United  States  Treasurer  at  Cincinnati,  but  his  uncle,  Sardis 
Birchard,  had  just  died  and  left  him  his  fine  farm  at  Fremont, 
and  declining  the  position  offered  him  by  the  President,  he  re- 
tired to  the  sweet  comfort  of  rural  life.  But  here  he  was  not 
allowed  to  remain.  His  friends  of  the  Republican  party  ap- 
pealed to  him  in  1875  as  the  only  man  who  could  save  the  party 
from  defeat  in  the  Gubernatorial  contest,  and  Mr.  Hayes  be- 
came the  nominee.  The  issue  was  on  the  currency,  and  not 
only  rallied  a  full  Republican  vote,  but  also  many  votes  of  War 
Democrats  were  secured  by  the  personal  popularity  of  Mr. 
Hayes,  and  for  the  third  time  he  was  elected  Governor,  in 
which  position  he  displayed  the  greatest  executive  ability,  and 
not  only  reduced  the  State  debt,  but  was  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing much  beneficial  legislation. 

The  day  was  rapidly  approaching  when  higher  honors 
awaited  him.  In  1876  the  Republican  Convention  met  at 
Chicago  to  nominate  candidates  for  the  Presidency  and  Vice- 
Presidency.  Those  who  had  previously  been  talked  of  as  the 
most  probable  candidates  were  Blaine  and  Conkling,  between 
whom  the  party  was  divided.  The  Ohio  delegation,  however, 
came  up  solid  for  General  Hayes,  and  urged  his  nomination  as 
the  strongest  that  could  be  made.  This  influence  was  so 
strong  that  after  a  number  of  ballots  General  Hayes  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  Presidency,  and  after  writing  a  very  able  letter 
of  acceptance,  he  retired  to  his  home  at  Fremont.  The  Demo- 
crats nominated  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  of  New  York,  for  the 
Presidency,  and  the  succeeding  campaign  was  a  close  and 
vigorous  one. 

The  result  of  the  election  was  unfortunately  in  doubt.  Cer- 
tain complications  arose  in  the  election  in  South  Carolina, 
Louisiana  and  Florida  as  to  the  admission  of  votes  from  certain 
districts  in  those  States.  There  was  a  long  and  angry  debate  in 
Congress  over  the  grave  question  of  counting  the  electoral 
votes.  The  popular  vote  as  taken  had  given  Mr.  Tilden  a  large 
majority,  but  the  Republicans  declared  that  the  returns  from 
parts  of  three  States  in  dispute  were  irregular,  and  that  certain 
votes  were  illegal  and  should  not  be  counted.  There  could  be 


RUTHERFORD  B.   HAYES.  365 

no  agreement  on  the  regular  method  of  counting  the  electoral 
vote,  so  at  last  both  parties  agreed  to  refer  the  issue  to  a  Com- 
mission composed  of  fifteen  members,  of  whom  five  were  tp  be 
from  the  House  of  Representatives,  five  from  the  Senate,  and 
the  remaining  five  were  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  The  selection  of  the  Commission  was  made  as 
follows:  Three  of  the  Senators  were  to  be  Republicans,  and  two 
to  be  Democrats;  three  of  the  Representatives  were  to  be  Demo- 
crats and  two  of  them  Republicans.  Of  the  Judges,  four  were 
to  be  equally  divided  between  the  two  parties,  and  they  were  to 
select  the  fifth.  This  one  happened  to  be  a  Republican.  This 
gave  the  Republicans  eight  out  of  fifteen  of  the  Commission, 
and  it  was  but  natural  that  they  would  decide  every  question 
by  a  party  vote.  This  out-voted  the  Democrats  by  one  vote 
and  secured  the  Presidency  for  Mr.  Hayes. 

It  was  unfortunate  for  his  administration  that  the  popular 
vote  had  been  so  large  for  Mr.  Tilden,  as  his  political  opponents 
and  even  some  of  his  own  party  believed  that  he  was  not 
entitled  to  the  office. 

In  the  face  of  all  this  he  gave  the  country  a  very  quiet  and 
commendable  administration,  and  exercised  the  office  with  the 
least  possible  ostentation,  thus  securing  friends  from  among 
his  enemies,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  retiring  as 
modestly  as  he  came  in,  and  returning  to  his  home  at  Fremont 
followed  by  the  good  opinions  and  well  wishes  of  the  nation. 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


James  Abrain  Garfield  was  born  November  19th,  1831,  in  a 
log-cabin  on  a  new  farm,  in  Orange  township,  Cuyahoga  County, 
Ohio,  which  his  father  was  clearing.  He  came  of  hardy, 
industrious,  intelligent  New  England  stock.  His  earliest 
American  ancestor  was  Edward  Garfield,  who  emigrated  from 
Cheshire,  England,  on  the  border  of  Wales,  and  settled  in 
Watertown,  Mass.,  in  1630,  and  was  a  selectman  of  his  town 
for  many  years.  The  fourth  son  of  Edward  was  Benjamin 
Garfield,  a  militia  captain  and  a  representative  of  Watertown 
in  the  General  Court  for  nine  terms.  The  line  of  descent  comes 
down  through  Thomas  Garfield,  of  Weston,  Mass.,  his  third 
child,  and  a  second  Thomas,  who  lived  in  Lincoln  and  was  the 
oldest  child  of  the  first  Thomas,  to  Solomon,  the  great-grand- 
father of  General  Garfield.  Solomon's  brother  Abraham  was 
in  the  fight  at  Concord  Bridge.  Solomon  moved  to  Otsego 
County,  New  York,  and  settled  in  the  township  of  Worcester. 
His  son  Thomas  succeeded  him  as  a  small  farmer.  Abram,  a 
son  of  Thomas,  born  in  1799,  went  to  Ohio  when  a  lad  of 
eighteen  and  worked  at  chopping  wood  and  clearing  land  in 
Newburg,  near  Cleveland.  Afterward  he  journeyed  to  Mus- 
kingum  County,  where  he  met  Eliza  Ballou,  who  had  been  his 
schoolmate  in  his  old  home  in  Worcester,  when  they  were 
children.  They  were  married  in  1820,  and  went  to  live  in  Bed- 
ford, Cuyahoga  County.  Eliza  Ballou,  the  mother  of  General 
Garfield,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  of  French  Huguenot 
stock.  Her  ancestor,  Maturin  Ballou,  fled  from  France  on  the 
revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  and  settled  in  Rhode  Island, 

James  was  the  youngest  of  four  children.  His  father  bought 
eighty  acres  of  forest  land  in  Orange  a  short  time  before  the 
boy's  birth,  put  up  a  log  cabin  of  a  single  room,  moved  his 


368  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

family  into  it,  and  began  the  work  of  clearing  a  farm.  In  May, 
1833,  the  father  died,  leaving  the  farm,  partly  cleared  and  only 
partly  paid  for,  as  the  whole  support  of  his  young  family.  His 
last  words  were,  "  Eliza,  I  have  planted  four  saplings  in  these 
woods;  I  leave  them  to  your  care."  The  mother,  a  woman  of 
great  courage  and  strong  will,  sold  off  half  the  land  to  pay  the 
debt,  and  by  the  help  of  the  oldest  son  managed  to  keep  the 
family  together,  and  to  rear  the  children  in  the  atmosphere  of  a 
pious,  moral,  self -sacrificing  home  life. 

James  helped  on  the  farm  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to 
handle  an  ax  or  a  hoe,  or  drive  the  oxen  for  his  big  brother  to 
hold  the  plow.  When  older,  he  earned  money  by  working  for 
the  neighbors  in  the  hay-field.  His  first  regular  wages  were 
gained  by  working  in  a  potash  factory  owned  by  a  neighboring 
storekeeper.  His  early  education  was  got  at  a  district  school- 
house,  where  he  learned  to  read,  write  and  cipher.  He  had  a 
passion  for  books  from  his  childhood,  and  read  the  few  volumes 
left  by  his  father  and  everything  he  could  borrow  from  the 
neighbors  before  he  was  ten  years  old.  As  a  boy  he  was  strong, 
active,  fond  of  outdoor  sports,  kind,  but  quick-tempered,  and 
swift  to  resent  an  insult  with  his  fists.  At  school  he  was  known 
as  a  fighting  boy,  because  of  his  readiness  to  defend  himself 
when  misused  by  the  larger  boys. 

When  eighteen  he  went  to  Newburg  and  took  a  contract  to 
chop  one  hundred  cords  of  wood  at  fifty  cents  a  cord.  There 
he  got  his  first  glimpse  of  Lake  Erie,  and  the  sight  of  its 
blue  waters  and  white  sails  revived  in  him  a  boyhood  dream  of 
becoming  a  sailor.  When  the  job  of  chopping  was  finished  he 
went  to  Cleveland,  with  the  intention  of  shipping  as  a  hand  on 
a  schooner,  but  the  captain  of  the  first  craft  he  boarded  greeted 
him  with  a  torrent  of  profanity  and  ordered  him  ashore.  As  no 
one  wanted  a  green  hand  on  the  lake  craft,  he  hired  out  to  drive 
horses  on  the  canal,  and  spent  the  summer  boating  between 
Cleveland  and  Brier  Hill,  on  the  Mahoning  River,  making  one 
trip  to  Eittsburg.  He  soon  rose  to  the  rank  of  steersman,  but 
hard  work  and  exposure  brought  on  a  malarial  fever  which 
lasted  all  the  next  winter. 

With  the    help    of  the  district    schoolmaster,    his   mother 


JAMES  A.   (JARFIELD.  860 

dissuaded  him  from  making  another  effort  to  go  upon  the  lakes 
as  a  sailor,  and  in  the  following  spring  he  went  to  Geauga 
Academy,  a  Baptist  institution  in  the  village  of  Chester,  to  make 
a  start  at  getting  an  education.  A  cousin  about  the  same  age 
went  with  him,  and  the  two  lads  hired  a  room  and  lived  mostly 
on  provisions  which  they  took  from  home.  His  mother  gave 
him  seventeen  dollars,  which  she  and  his  brother  Thomas  had 
scraped  together,  and  with  this  money  he  got  through  one  term 
of  school.  In  the  summer  he  worked  for  day  wages  in  the  hay 
and  harvest  fields,  and  helped  build  a  frame  house  for  his 
mother,  thus  learning  something  of  the  carpenter  trade,  which 
was  of  great  service  to  him  afterward  in  enabling  him  to  com- 
plete his  education.  Returning  to  the  academy  in  the  fall,  he 
boarded  himself  at  a  cost  of  thirty-one  cents  per  week,  but  find- 
ing the  fare  hardly  good  enough  for  health,  increased  his  ex- 
penses to  fifty  cents  per  week.  In  the  winter  he  taught  a  coun- 
try school  for  twelve  dollars  a  month  and  "  boarded  around." 
The  only  time  in  his  life  when  he  sought  a  public  position  was 
when  he  looked  for  his  first  school.  He  tramped  two  days  over 
the  country  without  success,  his  youth  and  rather  awkward, 
overgrown  appearance  being  against  him  ;  but  after  his  return 
from  his  fruitless  search,  as  he  was  sitting  disconsolate  at 
home,  a  neighbor  came  up  and  offered  him  a  school  half  a  mile 
away,  which  he  had  not  ventured  to  apply  for  because  it  had 
been  broken  up  two  winters  in  succession  by  the  unruly  pupils. 
His  good  uncle  Boynton,  who  was  his  adviser  in  all  his  early 
life,  told  him  to  undertake  the  school,  and  said,  "  You  will  go 
into  that  school  as  the  boy  Jim  Garfield  ;  see  that  you  leave  it 
as  Mr.  Garfield,  the  teacher."  James  conquered  the  school  and 
made  an  excellent  teacher. 

He  went  back  to  the  academy  the  following  spring,  and  sup- 
ported himself  by  working  for  a  carpenter  mornings  and  even- 
ings and  Saturdays.  The  carpenter  agreed  to  board  and  lodge 
him  and  do  his  washing  for  one  dollar  and  six  cents  per  week, 
and  credit  him  with  his  work  by  the  hour  or  the  job.  James 
paid  his  way,  bought  himself  some  clothes  and  books,  and  had 
three  dollars  left  at  the  end  of  the  term.  In  the  winter  he 
taught  school  again — this  time  a  larger  school  in  the  village  of 


370  LIVES    OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Independence — for  which  he  got  sixteen  dollars  a  month.  He 
joined  the  Disciples  Church,  to  which  his  mother  and  uncle  be- 
longed, and  which  met  in  the  school-house  near  his  mother's 
farm,  and  was  baptized  in  a  little  creek  running  into  the 
Chagrin  River.  From  Chester  Academy  the  young  student 
went  to  Hiram,  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Portage,  where  the 
Disciples  had  just  opened  a  new  school,  called  the  Hiram  Eclec- 
tic Institute.  There,  too, he  earned  his  way  by  teaching  country 
schools  winters  and  working  in  summer  at  the  carpenter's  bench, 
until  he  was  offered  a  tutorship  in  the  institution.  His  ruling 
passion  now  was  to  get  a  college  education.  In  three  years'  time 
he  went  through  a  preparatory  course  and  half  of  the  regular  col- 
lege course,  with  the  assistance  of  one  of  the  teachers  who  studied 
with  him,  and  thus  did  six  years'  study  in  'three,  while  teaching 
classes  all  the  time.  To  accomplish  this  he  did  an  amount 
of  brain  work  that  would  have  appalled  one  less  resolute,  and 
would  have  broken  down  a  constitution  not  remarkably  strong. 
In  1854,  when  nearly  twenty -three  years  old,  he  entered  Wil- 
liams College,  at  Williamstown,  Mass.,  and  passed  the  examina- 
tions for  the  Junior  Class.  He  had  saved  money  enough  from 
his  salary  as  a  teacher  to  pay  his  expenses  for  one  year.  How 
to  get  the  rest  of  the  sum  needed  was  a  problem.  A  kind- 
hearted  gentleman  many  years  his  senior,  who  was  ever  after 
one  of  his  closest  friends,  loaned  him  the  amount.  So  scrupu- 
lous was  the  young  man  about  the  payment  of  the  debt  that  he 
got  his  life  insured  and  placed  the  policy  in  his  creditor's  hands. 
"If  I  live,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  pay  you,  and  if  I  die  you  will 
suffer  no  loss." 

The  debt  was  repaid  soon  after  he  graduated.  In  1856  he 
graduated  with  the  highest  honor  of  his  class.  His  classmates 
remember  well  his  prodigious  industry  as  a  student,  his  physical 
activity  in  the  college  games,  and  his  cordial,  hearty  social 
ways.  During  the  two  winter  vacations  which  occurred  while 
he  was  at  Williams  he  taught  writing-schools,  first  at  North 
Pownal,  Vermont,  and  next  at  Poestenkill,  near  Troy,  N.  Y. 

Returning  to  Ohio  from  college,  young  Garfield  went  back  to 
the  school  at  Hiram,  and  was  given  the  professorship  of  Latin 
and  Greek,  and  the  next  year,  when  only  twenty-six  years  old, 


JAMBS  A.  GABFIELD.  371 

he  was  made  President  of  the  Institute.  There  probably  never 
was  a  younger  president.  He  carried  into  his  new  position  the 
remarkable  energy  and  vigor  and  good  sense  which  were  the 
mainsprings  of  his  character.  He  soon  increased  the  attend- 
ance at  the  school,  raised  its  standard  of  scholarship,  strength- 
ened its  faculty,  and  inspired  everybody  connected  with  it  with 
something  of  his  own  zeal  and  enthusiasm.  At  the  same  time  he 
studied  law  and  was  an  omnivorous  reader  of  general  literature. 

Garfield's  first  political  speech  was  made  at  Williamstown  in 
1856,  just  before  he  left  college.  It  was  an  enthusiastic  appeal 
in  behalf  of  Fremont,  the  first  Eepublican  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  When  he  returned  to  Hiram  he  entered  with 
ardor  into  the  campaign  then  in  progress,  and  made  a  number 
of  speeches  at  evening  meetings  in  country  school-houses  and 
town-halls.  His  first  vote  was  cast  that  fall.  Thus  his  political 
career  began  with  the  birth  of  the  Republican  party. 

His  place  in  life  seemed  now  won,  and  he  married  the  object 
of  his  youthful  love— Lucretia  Rudolph,  a  farmer's  daughter, 
who  had  been  his  fellow-student  at  Chester  Academy,  and  his 
pupil  at  Hiram.  Miss  Rudolph  was  a  refined,  intelligent,  affec- 
tionate girl,  who  shared  his  thirst  for  knowledge  and  his  ambi- 
tion for  culture,  and  had,  at  the  same  time,  the  domestic  tastes 
and  talents  which  fitted  her  equally  to  preside  over  the  home  of 
the  poor  college  professor  and  that  of  the  famous  statesman. 
Much  of  Garfield's  subsequent  success  in  life  may  be  attributed 
to  his  fortunate  marriage.  His  wife  grew  with  his  growth, 
and  was,  during  all  his  career,  the  appreciative  companion  of 
his  studies,  the  loving  mother  of  his  children,  the  graceful, 
hospitable  hostess  of  his  friends  and  guests,  and  the  wise  and 
faithful  helpmeet  in  the  trials,  vicissitudes  and  successes  of  hij 
busy  life. 

While  teaching  at  Hiram,  Garfield  was  in  the  habit  of  deliv- 
ering religious  discourses  on  Sunday.  He  was  never  ordained 
as  a  minister,  but  in  his  denomination  no  ordination  is  required 
for  occupying  a  pulpit,  any  member  of  the  church  being  priv- 
ileged to  deliver  sermons.  Garfield's  talent  as  an  orator  and 
his  sincere  religious  convictions  made  his  services  as  a  preacher 
of  great  value  to  the  Disciples,  and  he  was  strongly  urged  to 


372  LIVES  OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

become  a  regular  minister.  His  mind  was  already  made  up, 
however,  that  the  law  should  be  his  ultimate  profession,  but 
he  was  glad  to  aid  his  denomination  by  pulpit  discourses  when- 
ever he  could.  For  some  time  he  spoke  regularly  in  the  Dis- 
ciples church  at  New  burg,  near  Cleveland,  going  there  from 
Hiram  Saturdays  and  returning  Monday  mornings  in  time  for 
his  school  duties.  His  stay  at  Hiram  was  a  period  of  great 
intellectual  activity  for  him.  Besides  his  teaching  and  preach- 
ing, he  delivered  two  lectures  a  week  to  the  pupils  of  the  Insti- 
tute on  literary  and  historical  subjects,  took  part  in  the  fall 
campaign,  and  often  lectured  in  the  neighboring  towns.  At- 
one time  he  held  a  five  days'  joint  discussion  on  geology  with 
William  Denton,  taking  the  providential  against  the  material 
view  of  creation. 

In  1859  Garfield  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  Ohio  from  the 
counties  of  Portage  and  Summit.  He  had  taken  part  in  the  po- 
litical campaigns  of  1856,  1857,  and  1858,  and  had  become  pretty 
well  known  as  a  vigorous,  logical  stump  orator.  He  did  not 
think  a  few  weeks  in  the  winter  at  Columbus  would  break  in 
seriously  upon  his  college  work,  to  which  he  was  devoted.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  he  already  felt  the  promptings  of 
political  ambition,  which  he  did  not  even  acknowledge  to  him- 
self. His  most  intimate  friend  in  the  Senate  was  J.  D.  Cox, 
who  afterward  became  a  Major-General,  Governor  of  the 
State,  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  The  two  young  Senators 
roomed  together,  studied  together,  and  helped  each  other  in  the 
work  of  legislation.  Garfield  pushed  his  law  studies  forward, 
and  early  in  the  winter  of  1861  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  During  the  session  of  1861  Garfield  was  char- 
acteristically active  and  vigorous  in  aiding  to  prepare  the  State 
to  stand  by  the  General  Government  in  opposition  to  the  rising 
storm  of  rebellion.  When  the  storm  burst  he  determined  to 
drop  everything  and  enter  the  army.  He  talked  the  matter 
over  with  his  friend  Cox,  and  both  agreed  that  it  was  their  duty 
to  offer  their  lives,  if  need  be,  for  their  country. 

A  company  was  raised  at  Hiram,  composed  exclusively  of  the 
students  of  his  college,  and  was  attached  to  the  Forty-second  Ohio 
Infantry.  Governor  Dennison  offered  Garfieid  the  colonelcy,  but 


JAMES  A.    GARFIELD.  373 

he  modestly  declined,  on  account  of  his  lack  of  military  experi- 
ence, and  asked  that  a  West  Pointer  be  put  in  command.  The 
Governor  made  him  lieutenant-colonel,  and  a  few  weeks  later, 
when  the  regiment  was  organized,  he  yielded  to  the  universal 
desire  of  its  officers  and  accepted  the  colonelcy.  The  regiment 
took  the  field  in  Eastern  Kentucky,  in  December,  1861.  Colonel 
Garfield  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Eighteenth  Brigade, 
and  was  ordered  by  General  Buell  to  drive  Humphrey  Marshall 
out  of  the  Sandy  Valley.  Thus  a  citizen  soldier,  who  had  never 
«een  battle,  was  intrusted  wiih  the  serious  task  of  defeating  a 
force  outnumbering  his  by  nearly  two  to  one,  and  commanded 
by  a  man  who  had  led  the  famous  charge  of  the  Kentucky 
Volunteers  at  Buena  Vista.  By  a  forced  night  march  he  reached 
Marshall's  position,  near  Prestonburg,  at  daybreak,  fell  upon 
him  with  impetuosity,  and  after  a  sharp  fight  forced  him  to 
burn  his  baggage  and  retreat  into  Virginia.  The  rebels  left  a 
small  force  in  Pound  Gap,  which  they  fortified  and  held  as  a 
point  of  observation.  On  the  14th  of  March  Colonel  Garfield 
started  wiih  500  infantry  and  200  cavalry  to  dislodge  this  force. 
A  severe  march  of  ten  days  brought  his  men  to  the  gap.  He 
sent  his  cavalry  along  the  main  road  to  attract  the  enemy's  at- 
tention, while  he  scrambled  over  the  rocks  and  through  the 
woods  with  his  infantry  and  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  rebel 
camp  unobserved.  A  few  volleys  scattered  them  in  full  retreat. 
These  operations  cleared  Eastern  Kentucky  and  stopped  the  flank 
movement  which  was  disturbing  BuelFs  plan. 

This  expedition  was  so  successful  and  so  fully  proved  the  mil- 
itary capacity  of  Garfield  that  he  was  immediately  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  the  following  incident  proves 
how  well  he  deserved  his  commission  :  While  camping  at  Pike- 
ton  heavy  rains  flooded  Sandy  Valley,  until  the  brigade  was  cut 
off  from  supplies  and  were  in  danger  of  starvation.  General 
Garfield  took  in  the  situation  at  once,  and  decided  to  go  himself 
in  search  of  a  steamboat  to  bring  food  to  his  famished  army. 
At  last  he  found  one  in  the  Ohio,  tied  up  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Big  Sandy,  waiting  for  the  flood  to  subside.  It  was  a  dilapi- 
dated old  boat,  and  the  captain  said  that  no  boat  could  live  in  the 
flood  that  was  pouring  out  of  the  Big  Sandy,  and  besides  there 


374  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

was  no  channel  to  Piketon,  and  a  boat  would  have  to  go  through 
the  woods  and  over  submerged  fields  to  get  there.  Persuasion 
was  of  no  avail,  and  the  picture  the  general  drew  of  his  starving 
men  met  with  no  sympathetic  response  in  the  heart  of  the  cau- 
tious boatman. 

"  Well,"  said  Garfield,  drawing  his  revolver,  "  that  boat  will 
carry  food  to  my  men  or  sink  in  the  attempt." 

"  I  aint  got  no  man  that  can  pilot  her  up  thar,"  said  the  cap- 
tain. 

"  Never  mind  the  pilot.  I'll  steer  the  boat,"  replied  Gar- 
field. 

The  boat  was  then  loaded  with  provisions,  and  with  General 
Garfield  at  the  wheel,  putting  in  practice  what  little  he  had 
learned  as  a  canal-boat  pilot,  they  started  to -Stem  the  flood,  and 
for  two  days  and  a  night  he  stuck  to  his  post,  running  the  boat 
over  bushes  and  through  the  mud  and  bumping  her  against  old 
logs  until  he  could  see  the  flags  and  bayonets  of  his  brigade  on 
the  hillside.  With  a  wild  shout  the  boys  rushed  pell-mell  to 
the  boat,  and  when  they  saw  their  commander  in  the  pilot 
house,  steering  the  ark  of  safety  that  was  bringing  food  to  the 
hungry,  they  raised  such  a  hurrah  as  had  never  been  heard  in 
that  locality  before,  and  they  did  not  believe  that  the  man 
could  be  licked  by  the  rebels  who  had  such  grit  as  that. 

On  the  23d  of  March  General  Gai-field  received  orders  from 
Bu^ll  to  proceed  to  Louisville  with  his  command,  except  a  small 
force  left  at  Piketon.  When  Garfield  reached  Louisville  he 
found  that  BueJl's  army  had  left  to  join  Grant  at  Pittsburgh 
Landing,  on  the  Tennessee  River.  Following  rapidly  after, 
General  Garfield  reached  Buell  at  Columbia,  Tennessee,  and 
was  at  once  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Twentieth  Brigade. 
News  of  the  rebel  attack  upon  General  Grant  had  already 
reached  Buell,  and  the  army  was  hastened  with  all  speed  to 
Savannah,  on  the  Tennessee,  where  they  embarked  on  boats  for 
Pittsburgh  Landing,  reaching  that  place  late  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  where  they  found  Grant's 
army  pressed  back  to  the  river,  his  position  being  held  with 
desperation  against  an  overwhelming  force  of  rebels.  General 
Garfield 's  brigade  was  at  once  thrown  into  the  action,  and  in  that 


JAMES  A.   GAEF1ELD.  375 

terrible  afternoon's  fight  he  did  his  work  nobly  in  helping  to 
save  the  army  from  a  crushing  defeat.  The  next  day  after  the 
victory  of  Pittsburgh  Landing  was  gained,  Garfield  with  his 
brigade  was  sent  forward  with  Sherman  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy, 
who  fled  to  their  strong  fortifications  at  Corinth.  There  Gen- 
eral Garfield  took  a  brave  and  conspicuous  part  in  the  long  and 
tedious  siege  which  resulted  hi  the  evacuation  of  the  place  by 
the  rebels.  General  Buell  was  then  ordered  to  advance  along 
the  line  of  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  transportation.  General  Garfield  was  sent  in  advance 
with  his  brigade  to  repair  the  railroad.  This  order  he  executed 
to  the  letter,  after  which  he  went  into  camp  at  Huntsville,  Ala- 
bama. At  this  place  he  was  appointed  president  of  a  court 
martial  to  try  Colonel  Turchin  for  the  conduct  of  his  command 
at  Athens,  Alabama.  Soon  after  this  he  was  violently  attacked 
with  chills  and  fever,  and  was  forced  to  return  home  on  sick 
leave.  While  there  he  received  orders  to  report  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  V.rar  at  Washington  as  a  member  of  the  court-martial 
to  try  General  Fitz  John  Porter. 

While  at  Washington  he  was  appointed  chief  of  staff  to 
General  Rosecrans.  At  this  time  General  Rosecrans'  inactivity 
was  the  cause  of  much  complaint  both  on  the  part  of  General 
Ilalleck  and  the  War  Department.  General  Rosecrans  gave  as 
his  most  important  reasons  for  his  delay  in  moving  against  the 
enemy,  the  weakness  of  his  cavalry  force  and  the  great  military 
advantage  of  keeping  Bragg  in  his  front  instead  of  driving  him 
away  to  unite  with  Johnston  and  attack  Grant  at  Vicksburg. 
At  first  General  Garfield  thought  Rosecrans  was  right,  but  as 
soon  as  he  became  familiar  with  the  situation  and  could  exer- 
cise his  excellent  judgment,  he  favored  an  attack  upon  Bragg, 
and  urged  Rosecrans  to  make  it.  To  satisfy  himself  of  the 
views  entertained  by  his  generals,  he  requested  in  writing  from 
them  their  opinions  in  reference  to  an  immediate  or  early 
attack  upon  the  enemy.  The  entire  seventeen  generals  who 
gave  their  opinions  coincided  with  General  Rosecrans.  These 
letters  General  Garfield  reviewed  in  a  strong  argument  against 
them,  which  has  been  pronounced  the  ablest  military  document 
submitted  by  a  chief  of  staff  during  the  war.  This  induced. 


376  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

General  Rosecrans  to  make  the  move  from  Murfeesboro 
toward  Bragg's  strongly  intrenched  position  at  Tullahoma, 
which  resulted  in  forcing  the  rebel  general  to  evacuate  hie 
position  and  retreat  to  Chattanooga,  leaving  sixteen  hundred 
prisoners,  six  cannon  and  a  large  quantity  of  stores  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Union  forces.  A  remarkable  incident  connected 
with  this  advance  is  that  the  seventeen  generals  of  Rosecrans' 
command  sent  General  Crittenden  to  headquarters  to  say  to 
General  Garfield  that  they  understood  that  the  movement  was 
his  work,  and  that  they  wished  him  to  understand  that  it  was 
a  rash  and  fatal  move,  for  which  he  would  be  held  responsible. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  could  not  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  being  held  responsible  for  more  such  movements  against  the 
enemy. 

General  Garfield  next  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
in  which  he  wrote  every  order  except  the  fatal  one  which  lost 
the  battle.  Had  he  written  this,  the  unfortunate  mistake  of 
Wood  in  interpreting  the  order  would  have  been  prevented,  and 
had  Garfield  commanded  the  army,  it  is  probable  that  Chicka- 
mauga would  have  been  a  victory  instead  of  a  disaster. 

On  the  16th  of  August  Rosecrans  moved  his  army  against 
Chattanooga,  which  he  endeavored  to  turn  and  cut  Bragg's 
communication.  This  intention  the  rebel  commander  thwarted 
by  evacuating  Chattanooga  and  falling  back  toward  Daltou. 
Never  doubting  but  that  Bragg  was  in  sincere  retreat,  Rose- 
crans pushed  vigorously  after  him,  and  divided  his  army  for 
the  purpose  of  a  more  successful  pursuit.  Bragg's  movement, 
however,  was  only  a  feint,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  formed  a 
junction  with  Longstreet,  he  turned  fiercely  on  Rosecrans'  sur- 
prised army  to  crush  it.  Such  was  the  unfortunate  position 
of  the  army,  and  such  the  fatal  mistake  of  General  Wood,  that 
nothing  saved  the  Union  forces  from  being  crushed  but  the 
volunteer  movement  of  General  Garfield  in  going  to  General 
Thomas  and  giving  him  information  of  the  position  of  the  rebel 
army  and  the  advantage  he  could  take  of  it  to  save  his  division 
and  protect  the  others  which  had  been  thrown  into  confusion. 
Even  this  could  not  have  saved  the  army  had  not  General 
Granger'?  command  of  Steadman's  Division  arrived  just  in  time 


JAMES  A.   GAEFIELD.  377 

to  close  a  gap  through  which  Longstreet  was  pouring  his  rebel 
troops  to  the  rear  of  our  array.  This  enabled  General  Thomas 
to  hold  the  enemy  in  check.  Here  the  rebels  charged  again 
and  again,  with  our  artillery  pouring  grape  and  canister  iuto 
their  ranks,  and  at  last  a  bayonet  charge  of  Thomas'  brave 
soldiers,  when  they  were  entirely  out  of  ammunition,  drove 
the  enemy  away  for  the  night  and  saved  our  army. 

General  Garfield  fell  back  with  the  army  to  Chattanooga,  and 
was  of  invaluable  service  in  organizing  it  for  the  siege  which 
the  rebels  laid  to  the  place. 

For  his  conduct  at  Chickamauga  Garfield  was  made  a  major- 
general.  A  military  critic,  writing  of  his  career  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  said  :  "As  a  chief  of  staff  Garfield  was  un- 
rivaled. There,  as  elsewhere,  he  was  ready  to  accept  the 
gravest  responsibilities  in  following  his  convictions.  The  bent 
of  his  mind  was  aggressive  ;  his  judgment  of  purely  military 
matters  was  good  ;  his  papers  on  the  Tullahoma  campaign 
will  stand  a  monument  of  his  courage  and  his  far-reaching, 
soldierly  sagacity  ;  and  his  conduct  at  Chickamauga  will 
never  be  forgotten  by  a  nation  of  brave  men." 

This  closed  General  Garfield's  military  career  in  the  field.  In 
the  summer  of  1862,  when  everybody  supposed  the  war  was 
going  to  end  in  a  few  months,  a  number  of  officers  who  had 
gained  distinction  in  the  field  were  taken  up  at  home  and 
•  elected  to  Congress.  Among  them  was  General  Garfield,  who 
was  nominated  by  the  Eepublicans  of  Joshua  R.  Giddings'  old 
district  while  with  his  brigade  in  Kentucky.  He  had  no 
knowledge  of  any  such  movement  in  his  behalf,  and  when  he 
accepted  the  nomination  he  did  so  in  the  belief  that  the  Rebell- 
ion would  be 'subdued  before  he  would  be  called  upon  to  take 
his  seat  in  the  House,  in  December,  1863.  His  nomination  was 
partly  the  result  of  his  military  fame  and  panly  of  a  desire  on 
the  part  of  the  friends  of  Giddings  to  defeat  the  man  who  had 
pushed  him  out  of  Congress  four  years  before.  Garfield's 
popularity  made  him  the  most  available  man  in  the  district  for 
this  purpose.  He  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  over  ten  thou- 
sand. He  continued  his  military  service  up  to  the  day  of  the 
meeting  of  Congress.  Even  then  he  seriously  thought  of  re- 


378  LIVES  OF    OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

signing  his  position  as  a  Representative  rather  than  his  major- 
general's  commission,  and  would  have  done  so  had  not  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  made  a  personal  appeal  to  him  to  enter  the  House 
and  give  the  administration  the  help  of  his  military  experience 
in  passing  measures  for  filling  up  the  army  and  pushing  the 
war  to  a  conclusion.  Had  he  remained  in  the  field  he  would 
have  had  the  command  of  a  corps  in  Thomas'  army. 

He  was  appointed  on  the  Military  Committee,  under  the  chair- 
manship of  General  Schenck,  and  was  of  great  service  in  carry- 
ing through  the  measures  which  recruited  the  armies  during 
the  closing  years  of  the  war.  At  the  same  time  he  began  a 
course  of  severe  study  of  the  subjects  of  finance  and  political 
economy,  going  home  every  evening  to  his  modest  lodgings  in 
Thirteenth  street  with  his  arms  full  of  books  borrowed  from 
the  Congressional  Library.  He  soon  took  rank  in  the  House  as 
a  ready  and  forcible  debater,  a  hard  worker,  and  a  diligent, 
practical  legislator.  His  superior  knowledge  used  to  offend 
some  of  his  less  learned  colleagues  at  first.  They  thought  him 
bookish  and  pedantic  until  they  found  how  solid  and  useful  was 
his  store  of  knowledge,  and  how  pertinent  to  the  business  in 
hand  were  the  drafts  he  made  upon  it.  His  genial  personal 
ways  soon  made  him  many  warm  friends  in  Congress.  The  men 
of  brains  in  both  houses  and  in  the  departments  were  not  long 
in  disco vering  that  here  was  a  fresh,  strong  intellectual  'orce 
that  was  destined  to  make  its  mark  upon  the  politics  of  the 
country.  They  sought  his  acquaintance,  and  before  he  had  been 
long  in  Washington  he  had  the  advantage  of  the  best  society  of 
the  Capital. 

As  a  leader  in  the  House  he  was  more  cautious  and  less  dash- 
ing than  Blaine,  and  his  judicial  turn  of  mind  made  him  too 
prone  to  look  for  two  sides  of  a  question  for  him  to  be  an  effi- 
cient partisan.  When  the  issue  fairly  touched  his  convictions, 
however,  he  became  thoroughly  aroused  and  struck  tremendous 
blows.  Elaine's  tactics  were  to  continually  harass  the  enemy 
by  sharp-shooting  surprises  and  picket  firing.  Garfield  waited 
for  an  opportunity  to  deliver  a  pitched  battle,  and  his  generalship 
•vas  shown  to  best  advantage  when  the  fight  was  a  fair  one  and 
vaged  on  grounds  where  each  party  thouizht  itself  strongest. 


JAMES  A.    GARFIELD.  379 

Then  his  solid  shot  of  argument  were  exceedingly  effective.  On 
the  stump,  Garfield  was  one  of  the  very  best  orators  in  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  had  a  good  voice,  an  air  of  evident  sincerity, 
great  clearness  and  vigor  of  statement,  and  a  way  of  knitting 
his  arguments  together  so  as  to  make  a  speech  deepen  its  im- 
pression on  the  mind  of  the  hearer  until  the  climax  was  reached. 

With  the  single  exception  of  1867,  when  he  made  a  tour  in 
Europe,  he  did  hard  work  on  the  stump  for  the  Republican 
party  in  every  campaign  after  he  entered  Congress.  His  services 
were  in  demand  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  He  usually  re- 
served half  his  time  for  the  Ohio  canvass,  and  gave  the  other 
half  to  other  States.  The  November  election  usually  found  him 
worn  and  haggard  with  travel  and  speaking  in  the  open  air,  but 
his  robust  constitution  always  carried  him  through,  and  after  a 
few  weeks'  rest  on  his  farm,  he  would  appear  in  Washington 
refreshed  and  ready  for  the  duties  of  the  session. 

Whea  chairman  of  the  Appropriations  Comnaittae,  General 
Garfield  used  to  work  fifteen  hours  a  day.  Of  his  industry  and 
studious  habits  a  great  deal  might  be  said,  but  a  single  illustra- 
tion will  suffice.  Once  during  the  busiest  part  of  a  very  busy 
session  at  Washington,  a  friend  found  him  in  his  library  behind 
a  big  barricade  of  books.  This  was  no  unusual  sight,  but  when 
the  visitor  glanced  at  the  volumes  he  saw  they  were  all  different 
editions  of  Horace,  or  books  relating  to  that  poet.  "  I  find  I 
am  overworked  and  need  recreation,"  said  the  General.  "  Now, 
my  theory  is  that  the  best  way  to  rest  the  mind  is  not  to  let  it  be 
idle,  but  to  put  it  at  something  quite  outside  of  the  ordinary 
line  of  its  employment.  So  I  am  resting  by  learning  all  the 
Congressional  Library  can  show  about  Horace,  and  the  various 
editions  and  translations  of  his  poems," 

General  Garfield  was  the  possessor  of  two  homes,  and  his 
family  migrated  twice  a  year.  Finding  how  unsatisfactory  life 
was  in  hotels  and  boarding-houses,  he  bought  a  lot  of  ground 
on  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  and  First  streets,  in  Washington,  and 
with  money  borrowed  of  a  friend  built  a  plain,  substantial 
three-story  house.  A  wing  was  extended  afterward  to  make 
room  for  the  fast-growing  library.  The  money  was  repaid  in 
time,  and  was  probably  saved  in  great  part  from  what  would 


380 


LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


otherwise  have  gone  to  landlords.  The  children  grew  up  in 
pleasant  home  surroundings,  and  the  house  became  a  centre  of 
much  simple  and  cordial  hospitality.  The  little  cottage  at 
Hiram  was  sold,  and  for  a  time  the  only  residence  the  Garfields 
had  in  his  district  was  a  little  summer  house  he  built  on  Little 
Mountain,  a  bold  elevation  in  Lake  County,  which  commands 


MB.  QARFIELD'S  RESIDENCE  AT  MENTOE,  OHIO. 

a  view  of  thirty  miles  of  rich  farming  country  stretched  along 
the  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  Afterward  he  bought  a  farm  at  Men- 
tor, in  the  same  county,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Lake  Shore 
and  Michigan  Southern  Railroad.  Here  his  family  spent  all  the 
time  when  he  was  free  from  his  duties  in  Washington.  The 
original  farm-house  was  a  low,  old-fashioned  story -and  a-half 
building,  and  its  limited  accomodations  were  supplemented  by 
numerous  outbuildings,  one  of  which  General  Garfield  used 
for  office  and  library  purposes.  He  had  the  house  enlarged 


JAMES  A.   GARFIELC.  38 1 

and  remodelled,  so  that  it  now  has  a  handsome  modern  look. 
The  farm  contains  about  160  acres  of  excellent  land  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  General  Garfield  found  a  recreation, 
of  which  he  never  tired,  in  directing  the  field  work  and  mak- 
ing improvements  in  the  buildings,  fences  and  orchards.  Cleve- 
land is  only  twenty-five  miles  away;  there  is  a  post-office  and  a 
railway  station  within  half  a  mile,  and  the  pretty  county-seat 
town  of  Painesville  is  but  five  miles  distant.  One  of  the  pleas- 
ures of  summer  life  on  the  Garfield  farm  was  a  drive  of  two 
miles  through  the  woods  to  the  lake  shore  and  a  bath  in  the 
breakers.  Visitors  who  came  unannounced  often  found  the 
General  working  in  the  hay-field  with  his  boys,  with  his  broad 
genial  face  sheltered  from  the  sun  under  a  big  chip  hat,  and 
his  trousers  tucked  in  a  pair  of  cowhide  boots.  He  was  a  thor- 
ough countryman  by  instinct.  The  smell  of  the  good  brown 
earth,  the  lowing  of  cattle,  the  perfume  of  the  new-cut  grass, 
and  all  the  sights  and  sounds  of  farm  life,  were  dear  to  him 
from  early  associations. 

In  person,  General  Garfield  was  six  feet  high,  broad- 
shouldered,  and  strongly  built.  He  had  an  unusually  large  head, 
that  seemed  to  be  three-fourths  forehead,  light  brown  hair  and 
beard,  touched  with  gray,  large  light  blue  eyes,  a  prominent 
nose  and  full  cheeks.  He  dressed  plainly,  was  fond  of  broad- 
rimmed  slouch  hats  and  stout  boots,  ate  heartily,  cared  nothing 
for  luxurious  living,  was  a  great  reader  of  good  books  on  all 
subjects,  was  thoroughly  temperate  in  all  respects  save  in  that 
of  brain  work,  and  was  devoted  to  his  wife  and  children. 
Among  men  he  was  genial,  approachable,  companionable,  and 
a  remarkably  entertaining  talker.  His  mind  was  a  vast  store- 
house of  facts,  reminiscences  and  anecdotes. 

General  Garfield  had  scarcely  entered  Congress  before  he 
delivered  a  speech  so  able  and  convincing  that  his  popularity 
and  influence  as  a  party  leader  were  at  once  recognized.  This 
speech  was  in  reply  to  one  delivered  by  Mr.  Alexander  Long, 
Representative  from  Ohio,  proposing  the  recognition  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy.  This  speech  aroused  to  indignation 
the  sentiments  of  every  Union-loving  Representative  on  the 
floor  of  the  House.  At  the  close  of  the  speech  General  Garfield 


382  LIVES    OF  OUR  PKESIDEKTS. 

sprang  to  his  feet  and  delivered  such  a  spirited,  able  and 
scathing  rebuke  that  there  was  nothing  left  of  Long's  argu- 
ments but  the  memory  of  their  dishonor.  The  following  are 
among  some  of  the  final  passages  of  General  Garfield's  speech  : 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  I  am  reminded  by  the  occurrences  of  this  afternoon  of 
two  characters  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  as  compared  with  two  others  of 
the  war  of  to-day.  The  first  was  Lord  Fairfax,  who  dwelt  near  the  Potomac, 
a  few  miles  from  us.  When  the  great  contest  was  opened  between  the 
mother  country  and  the  colonies,  Lord  Fairfax,  after  a  protracted  struggle 
with  his  own  heart,  decided  that  he  must  go  with  the  mother  country.  He 
gathered  his  mantle  about  him  and  went  over  grandly  and  solemnly. 

"There  was  another  man  who  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  struggling  colonists 
and  continued  with  them  until  the  war  was  well  nigh  ended.  In  an  hour  of 
darkness  that  just  preceded  the  glory  of  the  morning  he  hatched  the  treason 
to  surrender  forever  all  that  had  been  gained  to  the  enemies  of  his  country. 
Benedict  Arnold  was  the  man  ! 

"  Fairfax  and  Arnold  find  their  parallel  in  the  struggle  to-day 

"  When  this  war  began  many  good  men  stood  hesitating  and  doubting  what 
they  ought  to  do.  Robert  E.  Lee  sat  in  his  house  across  the  ri  rer  here  doubt- 
ing and  delaying,  and  going  off  at  last  almost  tearfully  to  join  the  army  of  his 
State.  He  reminds  one,  in  some  respects,  of  Lord  Fairfax,  the  sturdy  royal- 
ist of  the  Revolution. 

"  But  now,  when  tens  of  thousands  of  brave  souls  have  gone  up  to  God 
under  the  shadow  of  the  flag,  when  thousands  more  maimed  and  shattered 
in  the  contest  are  sadly  waiting  the  deliverance  of  death  ;  now,  when  three 
years  of  terrific  warfare  have  raged  over  us  :  when  our  armies  have  pushed 
the  Rebellion  back  over  mountains  and  rivers  and  crowded  it  into  narrow 
limits  until  a  wall  of  fire  girds  it;  now,  when  the  uplifted  hand  of  a  majestic 
people  is  about  to  hurl  the  bolts  of  its  conquering  power  upon  the  Rebellion: 
now,  in  the  quiet  of  this  hall,  hatched  in  the  lowest  depths  of  a  similar  dark 
treason,  there  rises  a  Benedict  Arnold  and  proposes  to  surrender  all  up,  body 
and  spirit,  the  nation  and  the  flag,  its  genius  and  its  honor,  now  and  forever, 
to  the  accursed  traitors  to  our  country  !  *  *  *  * 

"  Suppose  the  policy  of  the  gentleman  were  adopted  to-day.  Let  the  order 
go  forth  1  Sound  the  '  recall '  on  your  bugles,  and  let  it  ring  forth  from 
Texas  to  the  far  Atlantic,  and  tell  the  armies  to  come  back.  Call  the 
victorious  legions  back  over  the  battle-fields  of  blood,  forever  now  dis- 
graced. Ca!l  them  back  over  the  territory  which  they  have  conquered. 
Call  them  back  and  let  the  minions  of  secession  chase  them  with  derision 
and  jeers  as  they  come.  And  tell  them  that  that  man  across  the  aisle, 
from  the  free  State  of  Ohio,  gave  birth  to  the  monstrous  proposition. 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  if  such  a  word  should  be  sent  forth  through  the  armies 
of  the  Union,  the  wave  of  terrible  vengeance  that  would  sweep  back  over 
this  land  could  never  find  a  parallel  in  the  records  of  history.  Almost  in  the 
moment  of  final  victory  the  '  recall '  is  sounded  by  a  craven  people  not 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD.  383 

deserving  freedom  !    We  ought  every  man   to  be  made  a  slave  should  we 
sanction  such  a  sentiment." 

In  1864  General  Garfield  was  renominated  without  opposition 
and  re-elected  by  an  increased  majority.  He  served  on  the 
Committee  of  Ways  and  Means,  which  was  very  much  in  the 
line  of  his  tastes  and  studies.  He  favored  a  moderate  protective 
tariff  and  a  steady  reduction  of  taxation  and  government 
expenditures.  In  1866  a  few  of  his  constituents  living  in  the 
Mahoning  Valley,  an  iron-producing  district,  opposed  his 
renomination  on  the  ground  that  he  did  not  favor  as  high  a 
tariff  on  iron  as  they  wanted.  The  convention  was  overwhelm- 
ingly on  his  side,  however,  and  in  after  years  he  succeeded  in 
convincing  his  opponents  that  a  moderate  duty,  affording  a 
sufficient  margin  for  protection,  was  better  for  their  interests 
than  a  high  prohibitory  rate.  In  his  third  term  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  and  had  plenty  of 
work  in  remodeling  the  regular  Army  and  looking  after  the 
demands  of  the  discharged  soldiers  for  pay  and  bounty,  of 
which  many  had  been  deprived  by  the  red-tape  decisions  of  the 
Government  accounting  officers. 

It  was  during  this  session  that  he  delivered  his  sublime  ora- 
tion on  the  occasion  of  the  first  anniversary  of  the  death  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Having  been  selected  to  make  the  motion 
for  an  adjournment  of  Congress  for  the  day,  and  in  speaking 
on  the  motion,  he  said  : 

"  1  desire  to  move  that  this  House  do  now  adjourn.  And  before  the  vote 
upon  that  motion  is  taken,  I  desire  to  say  a  few  words.  This  day,  Mr. 
Speaker,  will  be  sadly  memorable  so  long  as  this  nation  shall  eudure,  which 
God  grant  may  be  till  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time,  when  the  volume  of 
human  history  shall  be  sealed  and  delivered  to  the  omnipotent  judge.  In 
all  future  time  on  the  recurrence  of  this  day,  I  doubt  not  that  the  citizens  of 
this  Republic  shall  meet  in  solemn  assembly  to  reflect  on  the  life  and  char- 
acter of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  the  awful  tragic  event  of  April  14,  186.),  an 
event  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  nations,  certainly  unparalleled  in  our  own. 
It  is  eminently  proper  that  this  House  should  this  day  place  upon  its  records 
a  memorial  of  that  event.  The  last  five  years  have  been  marked  by  wonder- 
ful developments  of  individual  character.  Thousands  of  our  people  before 
unknown  to  fame  have  taken  their  places  in  history,  crowned  with  immortal 
honors.  In  thousands  of  humble  homes  are  dwelling1  heroes  and  patriots 


3H4  LIVES   OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

whose  names  shall  never  die.  But  greatest  among  all  these  great  develop- 
ments were  the  character  and  fame  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whose  loss  the  na- 
tion still  deplores.  His  character  is  aptly  described  in  the  words  of  England's 
great  laureate,  written  thirty  years  ago,  in  which  he  traces  the  upward  steps 
of  some 

"  '  Divinely  gifted  man, 
Whose  life  in  low  estate  began. 
And  on  a  simple  village  green; 

"  '  Who  breaks  his  birth's  invidious  bar, 
And  grasps  the  skirts  of  happy  chance, 
And  breasts  the  blow  of  circumstance, 
And  grapples  with  his  evil  star; 

"  '  Who  makes  by  force  his  merit  known, 
And  lives  to  clutch  the  golden  keys, 
To  mold  a  mighty  State's  decrees. 
And  shape  the  whisper  of  the  throne; 

"  '  And  moving  up  from  high  to  higher, 
Becomes  on  Fortune's  crowning  slope 
The  pillar  of  a  people's  hope, 
The  centre  of  a  world's  desire." 

"  Such  a  life  and  character  will  be  treasured  forever  as  the  sacred  posses- 
sion of  the  American  people  and  of  mankind.  In  the  great  drama  of.  the 
Rebellion  there  were  two  acts.  The  first  was  the  war  with  its  battles  and 
sieges,  victories  and  defeats,  its  sufferings  and  tears.  That  act  was  closing 
one  year  ago  to  night,  and,  just  as  the  curtain  was  lifting  on  the  second  and 
final  act — the  restoration  of  peace  and  liberty — just  as  the  curtain  was  rising 
on  new  characters  and  new  events,  the  evil  spirit  of  the  Rebellion,  in  the  fury 
of  despair,  nerved  and  directed  the  hand  of  the  assassin  to  strike  down  the 
chief  character  in  both.  It  was  no  one  man  who  killed  Abraham  Lincoln  ;  it 
was  the  embodied  spirit  of  treason  and  slavery,  inspired  with  fearful, 
despairing  hate,  that  struck  him  down  in  the  moment  of  the  nation's  suprem- 
est  joy. 

"  Ah,  sir,  there  are  times  in  the  history  of  men  when  they  stand  so  near 
the  veil  that  separates  mortal  from  the  immortal,  time  from  eternity,  and 
men  from  their  God,  that  they  can  almost  hear  the  beatings  and  feel  the 
pulsations  of  the  heart  of  the  Infinite.  Through  such  a  time  has  this  nation 
passed.  When  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  brave  spirits  passed  from  the 
fleld  of  honor  through  that  thin  veil  to  the  presence  of  God,  and  when  at  last 
its  parting  folds  admitted  the  martyr  President  to  the  company  of  the  dead 
heroes  of  the  Republic,  the  nation  stood  so  near  the  veil  that  the  whispers  of 
God  were  heard  by  the  children  of  men.  Awe-stricken  by  His  voice,  the 
American  people  knelt  in  tearful  reverence,  and  made  a  solemn  covenant 
with  him  and  with  each  other,  that  their  nation  should  be  saved  from  its 
enemies— that  all  its  glories  should  be  restored  ;  and  on  the  ruins  of  slavery 


JAMES  A.    (JARFIELD.  385 

and  treason  the  tample  of  freedom  and  justice  should  be  built,  and  should 
survive  forever.  It  remains  for  us,  consecrated  by  the  great  event,  and 
under  a  covenant  with  God,  to  keep  that  faith— to  go  forward  in  the  great 
work  until  it  shall  be  completed.  Following  the  lead  of  that  great  man,  and 
obeying  the  behests  of  God,  let  us  remember  that — 

" '  He  hath  sounded  forth  a  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat  j, 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  judgment  seat ; 
Be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  him;  be  jubilant,  my  feet ; 
For  God  is  marching  on  !'  " 

Again  re-elected  in  1868,  General  Garfield  was  appointed 
chairman  of  the  Banking  and  Currency  Committee,  and  during 
the  same  Congress  did  most  of  the  hard  work  of  the  Committee 
on  the  Ninth  Census.  His  financial  views,  always  sound,  and 
based  on  the  firm  foundation  of  honest  money  and  unsullied 
national  honor,  had  now  become  strengthened  by  his  studies 
and  investigations,  and  he  was  recognized  as  the  best  authority 
in  the  House  on  the  great  subjects  of  the  debt  and  the  currency. 
His  record  in  the  legislation  concerning  these  subjects  is  with- 
out a  flaw.  No  man  in  Congress  made  a  more  consistent  and 
unwavering  fight  against  the  paper-money  delusions  that  flour- 
ished during  the  decade  following  the  war,  and  in  favor  of 
specie  payments  and  the  strict  fulfillment  of  the  nation's  obliga- 
tions to  its  creditors.  His  speeches  became  the  financial  gospel 
of  the  Republican  party. 

In  1871  General  Garfield  was  made  chairman  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Appropriations,  and  held  the  post  until  the  Democrats 
got  control  of  the  House  in  1875.  In  that  important  position 
he  largely  reduced  the  expenditures  of  the  government  and 
thoroughly  reformed  the  system  of  estimates  and  appropria- 
tions, providing  for  closer  accountability  on  the  part  of  those 
who  spend  the  public  money,  and  a  clear  knowledge  on  the  part 
of  those  who  vote  it,  of  what  it  is  used  for.  He  was  one  of  the 
committee  sent  to  Louisiana  to  report  on  the  political  situation, 
with  a  view  to  reconstruction.  In  1876  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  Commission  to  decide  the  contested  Presidential  election. 

We  now  come  to  a  period  of  still  greater  prominence  in  the 
life  of  General  Garfield.  On  the  3d  of  June,  1880,  the  National 
Republican  Convention  met  at  Chicago  to  nominate  candidates 


386  LIVES    OF  OT7R  PRESIDENTS. 

for  President  and  "Vice-President.  General  Garfield  attended 
this  convention  as  a  delegate  from  Ohio  to  present  the  name  of 
Hon.  John  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  for  the  votes  of  the  Convention. 
It  became  evident  that  the  great  battle  was  to  be  fought 
between  the  champions  of  Grant  and  Elaine.  The  breach  be- 
tween the  factions  was  widening  every  hour,  when  General 
Garfield  arose,  and,  as  soon  as  he  could  be  heard  after  the  storm 
of  applause,  nominated  the  Hon.  John  Sherman  as  an  unob- 
jectionable man,  in  whom  all  the  excellences  of  Republican 
qualities  were  blended,  and  upon  whom  all  could  unite.  Dur- 
ing his  able  speech  the  shout  arose,  "  Nominate  Garfield."  At 
this  time  General  Garfield  was  saying  : 

"  We  want  a  man  whose  life  and  opinions  embody  all  the  achievements  of 
which  I  have  spoken.  We  want  a  man  who,  standing  on  a  mountain  height, 
sees  all  the  achievements  of  our  past  history,  and  carries  in  his  heart  the 
memory  of  all  its  glorious  deeds,  and  who,  looking  forward,  prepares  to  meet 
the  labor  and  the  dangers  to  come.  We  want  one  who  will  act  in  no  spirit 
of  unkindness  against  those  we  lately  met  in  battle.  The  Republican  party 
offt  rs  to  our  brethren  of  the  South  the  olive  branch  of  peace,  and  wishes 
them  to  return  to  brotherhood  on  this  supreme  condition,  that  it  shall  be 
admitted  forever  and  forevermore  that  we  were  right  and  they  were  wrong. 
On  that  supreme  condition  we  meet  them  as  brethren,  and  no  other.  We 
ask  them  to  share  with  us  the 'blessings  and  honors  of  this  great  Republic. " 

It  became  evident  soon  after  this  speech  that  General  Garfield 
was  the  unobjectionable  man  who  possessed  all  these  qualities 
and  who  could  unite  the  warring  fractions. 

General  Garfield's  nomination  for  President  by  the  Chicago 
Convention  was  unsolicited  and  unexpected  by  him.  He  was 
not  a  candidate,  and  did  not  mean  to  become  one.  When  it 
became  evident  that  neither  Grant,  Elaine  nor  Sherman  could 
be  nominated,  and  the  dead-lock  had  continued  for  thirty -three 
ballots,  the  Wisconsin  delegation  voted  for  Garfield.  He  arose 
and  protested  against  the  use  of  his  name  without  his  consent. 
In  spite  of  his  refusal  to  be  a  candidate,  hundreds  of  delegates 
turned  to  him  as  the  man  for  the  emergency.  On  the  35th  bal- 
lot he  received  50  votes,  and  on  the  36th  he  was  nominated  by 
a  large  majority  over  all  others.  His  long  and  consistent  record, 
his  wise  counsels  in  favor  of  harmony  in  the  midst  of  the 
stormy  scenes  at  Chicago,  his  manly  independence  in  advocat- 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD.  38? 

ing  what  he  thought  the  right  course,  and  his  national  fame 
as  a  brave,  cool-headed,  patriotic,  conservative  Republican 
leader,  convinced  the  convention  that  he  was  the  man  to  head 
the  ticket.  The  wildest  enthusiasm  was  evidenced  when  it  was 
known  that  he  had  received  the  nomination. 

The  usual  exciting  campaign  followed,  and  at  the  election 
which  took  place  on  the  2d  of  November,  1880,  General  Gar- 
field  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  59  votes  in  the  Electoral  Col- 
lege over  General  Hancock,  the  Democratic  candidate. 

After  the  election  and  before  his  inauguration  General  Gar- 
field  remained  at  his  home  at  Mentor,  where,  although  besieged 
with  a  constant  throng  of  visitors,  he  was  comparatively  free 
from  the  horde  of  office  seekers  and  applicants  for  various  official 
favors  who  swarm  around  the  President  in  Washington  like 
hungry  flies.  But  at  last  his  home  had  to  be  abandoned  for  the 
noisy  Capital,  and  leaving  Mentor  on  the  1st  of  March,  he  arrived 
on  the  2d,  and  two  days  later  was  inaugurated  under  apparently 
the  most  auspicious  circumstances. 

Immediately  after  his  inauguration  President  Garfield  sent 
to  the  Senate,  then  in  extra  session,  the  names  selected  as 
members  of  his  Cabinet,  which  were  as  follows  :  Secretary  of 
State,  James  G.  Elaine,  of  Maine  ;  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
William  Windom,  of  Minnesota  ;  Secretary  of  War,  Robert  T. 
Lincoln,  of  Illinois  ;  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  W.  H.  Hunt,  of 
Louisiana  ;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  S.  J.  Kirkwood,  of  Iowa  ; 
Attorney -General,  Wayne  McVeagh,  of  Pennsylvania  ;  Post- 
master-General, Thomas  L.  James,  of  New  York. 

It  was  soon  realized  that  President  Garfield's  administration 
was  not  destined  to  be  a  tranquil  one.  The  Republican  party 
was  arrayed  in  factions,  one  sustaining  the  President  and  the 
other  joining  the  banner  of  Senator  Roscoe  Conkling,  and  being 
known  as  the  "  Stalwarts."  This  split  in  the  party  was  caused 
by  Senators  Conkling  and  Platt,  of  New  York,  assuming  to 
dictate  to  the  President  whom  he  should  appoint  to  the  Collector- 
ship  of  the  Port  of  New  York.  Upon  the  refusal  of  the  Presi- 
dent to  yield  to  their  dictation,  Conkling  and  Platt  resigned 
their  seats  in  the  Senate,  carrying  with  them  the  "Stalwart" 
faction  of  the  party. 


888  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Among  these  "Stalwarts"  was  a  miserable,  ambitious,  re- 
vengeful wretch,  named  Charles  J.  Guiteau,  who,  having  done 
some  slight  but  valueless  services  for  the  party  during  the 
Presidential  canvass,  presumed  upon  it  to  demand  an  important 
foreign  mission.  His  ability,  morals  and  position  in  society 
were  so  low  that  he  was  scarcely  above  a  vagabond,  and  was 
unworthy  of  either  encouragement  or  trust.  It  was  with  most 
presumptuous  bigotry  that  he  ever  entertained  the  hope  of  any 
position,  and  when  he  had  resigned  that,  there  was  not  a  place 
in  the  gift  of  the  President  low  enough  for  such  a  man.  With 
cruel  fiendishness  he  resolved  upon  revenge,  and  only  waited 
his  opportunity  to  accomplish  his  murderous  purpose.  This 
opportunity  occurred  on  the  3d  of  July.  President  Garfield 
started  to  leave  Washington  for  a  tour  in  New  England,  intend- 
ing first  to  go  to  Long  Branch  for  Mrs.  Garfield.  who  was  to 
accompany  him  on  the  projected  trip.  A  party  of  friends,  who 
were  to  accompany  him  on  the  journey,  were  awaiting  his 
arrival  at  the  Baltimore  and  Potomac  depot,  at  which  the  Presi- 
dent soon  after  arrived  in  company  with  Mr.  Blaine,  who  came 
to  see  him  off. 

Just  as  the  President  had  entered  the  ladies'  waiting-room, 
Guiteau  stealthily  approached  him  from  behind,  and  drawing  a 
heavy  revolver,  suddenly  fired  two  shots  at  the  President,  one 
taking  effect  in  his  arm  and  the  other  in  his  back,  shattering  a 
rib  and  carrying  away  part  of  the  spine. 

The  murderous  attack  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  at 
first  those  present  did  not  fully  realize  the  circumstances,  but 
in  a  few  moments  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed,  which 
rapidly  spread  over  the  city  and  from  thence  over  the  entire 
country,  until  the  effect  could  only  be  equaled  by  that  which 
followed  the  news  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln. 

President  Garfield  immediately  fell,  and  lay  upon  the  floor 
with  the  blood  streaming  from  both  wounds,  while  Guiteau 
rushed  to  the  door,  where  he  was  secured  by  a  policeman.  In  a 
few  moments  a  mattress  was  obtained,  and  the  President,  who 
was  entirely  conscious,  was  placed  upon  it  and  as  quickly  as 
possible  taken  back  to  the  White  House,  and  a  telegram  was 
hastily  sent  to  Long  Branch  for  Mrs.  Garfield,  while  Dr.  Bliss 


JAMES  A.   aAJBFIELD.  889 

and  other  eminent  surgeons  did  everything  in  professional  skill 
that  could  benefit  the  wounded  man. 

It  was  evident,  as  soon  as  the  extent  of  the  wound  was  ascer- 
tained, that  the  President  had  scarcely  a  hope  of  recovery,  but 
that  slender  chance  President  Gar  field,  in  his  wonderful  vitali- 
ty, clung  to  with  the  greatest  fortitude,  while  day  after  day, 
and  even  minute  by  minute,  a  tearful,  agonized  nation  waited 
for  news  and  prayed  for  his  recovery,  hoping  against  hope. 
Never  before  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  there  a  parallel 
case.  In  that  of  President  Lincoln  the  first  news  flashed  over 
the  wires  was  of  his  death,  and  it  was  all  over,  with  no  hope  ; 
but  as  the  days  passed  on  and  President  Garfield  still  lived,  and 
the  prayers  of  the  nation  still  went  up,  the  people  looked  with 
faith  for  an  answer  to  their  supplications. 

Two  months  of  terrible  suffering  to  the  President  passed  dur- 
ing the  fiercest  heat  of  the  summer,  and  then  with  the  tender- 
est  care  the  patient  sufferer  was  removed  to  Long  Branch  to  a 
seaside  cottage,  where  it  was  hoped  the  pure  breeze  from  the 
ocean  would  add  its  healing  influences  to  nature's  efforts. 
There  the  sympathies  of  the  world  gathered  around  the  suf- 
fering martyr,  and  from  every  land  came  messages  of  anxious 
inquiry  and  condolence  and  encouragement.  There  gradually 
the  mind  and  memory  of  the  President  withdrew  itself  from 
thoughts  of  the  honor  of  his  high  position  and  centred  upon  his 
family,  and  went  back  with  sweet  longings  to  the  dear,  quiet 
home  that  he  was  never  to  see  again.  He  was  dying  slowly, 
but  surely,  and  he  realized  it.  "  I  am  not  afraid  to  die,"  said 
he  ;  "I  only  want  to  meet  all  my  family  together." 

Eighty  days  of  suffering  and  suspense  had  passed,  and  then, 
on  the  19th  of  September,  it  was  seen  that  President  Garfield's 
life  was  going  out.  The  light  was  flickering  in  the  socket.  An 
hour  or  so  more  was  all  of  life  and  earth  left  to  him.  At  mid- 
night he  was  rapidly  failing,  and  with  a  terrible  pain  at  his 
heart  he  sank  into  a  stupor  from  which  he  never  revived. 
'•  Twelve  o'clock,"  and  all  would  soon  be  well  with  James  A. 
Garfield,  beyond  the  sorrows  and  the  pains  of  earth.  A  half- 
hour  passed,  and  surrounded  by  his  family  and  physicians,  and 
a  number  of  statesmen,  his  life  went  out. 


390  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Through  the  remainder  of  the  night  bells  began  tolling  all 
over  the  land,  and  by  the  next  day  the  news  had  reached  the 
principal  cities  and  countries  of  the  civilized  world,  while  every 
city  and  hamlet  throughout  our  broad  land  was  draped  in  the 
sombre  emblems  of  mourning,  and  the  deepest  grief  over- 
shadowed the  land. 

After  his  remains  were  conveyed  from  Long  Branch  to 
Washington  they  lay  in  state  at  the  Capitol  for  two  days,  while 
the  great  throng  of  sorrowing  people  passed  by  to  gaze  on  the 
pale,  wasted  face  of  the  dead  President.  After  the  public  had 
been  permitted  to  view  the  remains,  one  sacred  hour  was  de- 
voted to  the  family,  that  they  might  be  alone  with  their  dead. 
After  this  followed  the  funeral  services,  which  were  grand  in 
their  very  simplicity,  accompanied  as  they  were  by  the  impres- 
sive circumstances  and  surroundings  ;  the  beautiful  catafalque, 
the  decorative  draperies  of  the  rotunda  hall  of  the  Capitol, 
and  the  august  assemblage  of  the  nation's  great  men,  made  it  a 
scene  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  funeral  services  were  performed  by  ministers  of  the  Church 
of  the  Disciples,  of  which  President  Garfield  had  been  a  member, 
after  which  the  procession  took  up  the  line  of  march  to  the  de- 
pot in  the  following  order  :  Two  battalions  of  District  of  Co- 
lumbia militia  ;  two  companies  of  United  States  Marines  ;  four 
companies  of  the  United  States  Second  Artillery  ;  Light  Bat- 
tery Company  A,  United  States  Artillery  ;  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  ;  Boys  in  Blue  ;  Washington  Commanderies  Knights 
Templars  and  Beausant  Commandery  Knights  Templars  of 
Baltimore.  These  were  followed  by  the  hearse,  after  which 
came  a  long  line  of  carriages,  in  which  were  i  he  wife  and  family 
of  President  Garfield,  ex-Presidents  Grant  and  Hayes,  President 
Arthur,  Secretary  Blaine  and  other  Cabinet  Ministers,  and  rela- 
tives ;  officers  of  the  Executive  Mansion ;  the  Diplomatic 
Corps  ;  Chief  Justice  Waite  and  Associate  Justices ;  Senators, 
Members  of  the  House,  Governors  of  States  and  Territories,  and 
a  great  line  of  other  important  officials  and  distinguished  per- 


Arriving  at  the  depot,  the  coffin,  still  bearing  the  Queen  of 
England's  beautiful  wreath,  was  borne  to  the  special  train  be- 


JAMES  A.   GARFIELD.  391 

tween  the  generals  and  the  admirals  of  the  Army  and  the  Navy, 
and  the  double  ranks  of  soldiers  and  marines,  and  in  a  few 
moments  more  the  train  was  bearing  away  the  dead  to  its  last 
resting  place  at  Cleveland. 

All  along  the  route  the  demonstrations  of  respect  and  mourn- 
ing were  most  impressive.  Church  bells  tolled,  flags  were  at 
half-mast  and  the  drapery  of  mourning  covered  almost  every 
house,  while  a  continuous  throng  stretched  along  the  entire 
route  of  the  train.  Language  cannot  convey  an  adequate  im- 
pression of  the  grand  reception  extended  to  the  funeral  party  at 
Cleveland,  where  the  remains  were  to  be  interred.  There  the 
final  ceremonies  were  beautiful  and  impressive.  The  grandest 
preparations  had  been  made  for  the  funeral  services,  and  a 
pavillion  had  been  erected  in  Monumental  Park  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  remains.  Here  they  were  borne  in  an  immense  pro- 
cession, and  lay  in  state  for  a  day  and  night,  to  be  viewed  by 
the  eager  throng.  This  structure  was  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful ever  erected  in  the  country,  and  the  decorations  were  most 
magnificent.  From  the  centre  of  the  roof  rose  a  gilt  spire,  on 
which  stood  a  figure  of  an  angel  twenty-four  feet  high,  while 
shields  and  flags  and  drapery  and  hanging  baskets  of  flowers 
ornamented  every  column  and  arch  and  angle  of  the  structure. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  at  10:30  A.  M.,  the  funeral  services 
-were  begun  by  the  singing  of  Beethoven's  "  Funeral  Hymn." 
Then  Bishop  Bedel,  of  the  Episcopal  diocese  of  Ohio,  read  pas- 
sages from  the  Scriptures.  This  was  followed  by  an  earnest 
and  impressive  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Houghton,  of  the  First 
M.  E.  Church,  after  which  the  Rev.  Isaac  Errett,  of  Cincinnati, 
delivered  the  funeral  sermon  from  the  text,  "  And  the  archers 
shot  King  Josiah.  and  the  King  said  to  his  servants,  Have  me 
away,  for  I  am  sore  wounded." 

"There  was  never,"  said  he,  "  a  mourning  in  all  the  world  like 
this  mourning.  I  am  not  speaking  extravagantly,  for  I  am  told 
it  is  the  result  of  calculations  carefully  made,  that  certainly  not 
less  than  300,000,000  of  the  human  race  share  in  the  sadness 
and  the  lamentation,  the  sorrow  and  the  mourning  that  belong 
to  this  occasion  here  to-day.  It  is  the  chill  shadow  of  a  calam- 
ity that  has  extended  itself  into  every  home  iu  all  this  land,  and 


392  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

into  every  heart,  and  that  has  projected  itself  over  vast  seas  and 
oceans  into  distant  lands  and  awakened  the  sincerest  and  pro- 
foundest  sympathies  with  us  in  the  hearts  of  the  good  of  all 
nations  and  among  all  people. 

*  *****  * 

"  James  A.  Garfield  went  through  his  whole  public  life  with- 
out surrendering  for  a  single  moment  his  Christian  integrity, 
his  moral  integrity  or  his  love  for  the  spiritual. 

"  He  passed  all  the  conditions  of  virtuous  life  between  the  log 
cabin  in  Cuyahoga  and  the  White  House,  and  in  that  wonder- 
ful, rich  and  varied  experience,  still  moving  up  from  higher  to 
higher,  he  has  touched  every  heart  in  all  this  land  at  some 
point  or  other,  and  he  became  the  representative  of  all  hearts 
and  lives  in  this  land,  and  not  only  the  teacher,  but  the  inter- 
preter of  all  virtues;  for  he  knew  their  wants  and  he  knew  their 
condition,  and  he  established  legitimate  ties  of  brotherhood 
with  every  man  with  whom  he  came  in  contact." 

After  continuing  this  most  beautiful  and  touching  tribute,  he 
concluded:  ''  I  have  discharged  now  the  solemn  covenant  trust 
reposed  in  me  many  years  ago,  in  harmony  with  a  friendship 
that  has  never  known  a  cloud,  a  confidence  that  has  never 
trembled,  and  a  love  that  has  never  changed.  Farewell,  my 
friend  and  brother !  Thou  hast  fought  a  good  fight.  Thou 
hast  finished  thy  course.  Thou  hast  kept  the  faith.  Hence- 
forth there  is  laid  up  for  thee  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which 
the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  will  give  to  thee  on  that  day! 
and  not  unto  thee  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  who  love  his 
appearing." 

The  sermon  was  followed  by  the  reading  of  General  Gar- 
field's  favorite  hymn,  the  "  Reaper's  Song,"  which  was  sung  by 
the  Cleveland  vocal  society,  after  which  Dr.  Pomeroy  delivered 
the  final  prayer,  and  the  procession  took  up  its  solemn  line  of 
march  to  the  cemetery,  with  a  most  imposing  array  of  mili- 
tary and  distinguished  citizens.  At  the  grave  the  Rev.  J.  H. 
Jones,  Chaplain  of  the  Forty-second  Ohio,  General  Garfield's 
regiment,  made  a  beautiful  address,  and  after  other  solemn  and 
appropriate  services  the  body  was  laid  in  its  final  resting 
place, 


JAMES  A.    GARFIELD. 


So  died  James  A.  Garfield,  the  sturdy  canal  boatman,  the 
poor  and  struggling  student  and  tutor,  the  gallant  soldier,  the 
eminent  legislator,  and  the  second  martyred  President  of  the 
United  States. 


CHESTER  A.   ARTHUR. 


Chester  Alan  Arthur  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fairfield,  Frank- 
lin County,  Vermont,  on  the  5th  day  of  October,  1830.  He  was 
the  elder  of  two  sons  ;  he  had  four  sisters  older  and  two 
younger  than  himself.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  William 
Arthur,  was  a  Baptist  clergyman,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  from  Bally mena,  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  when  only 
eighteen  years  old,  and  died  at  an  advanced  age  in  Newton- 
ville,  near  Albany,  on  October  27th,  1875.  Dr.  Arthur  was  a 
finely-educated  man  ;  a  graduate  of  Belfast  University,  Ire- 
land. For  several  years  he  published  The  Antiquarian,  a  jour- 
nal devoted,  as  its  title  indicates,  to  antiquarian  research.  A 
work  of  his  own,  "  Family  Names,"  is  still  highly  esteemed  by 
the  collectors  of  that  kind  of  literature.  While  devoting  him- 
self to  literature,  he  yet  faithfully  fulfilled  all  the  duties  of  his 
special  calling.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Calvary  Baptist  Church, 
Albany  ;  and  also  of  Baptist  churches  at  Bennington,  Hines- 
burg,  Fairfield  and  Williston,  in  Vermont ;  and  at  York,  Perry, 
Greenwich,  Schenectady,  Lansingburg,  Hoosic,  West  Troy  and 
Newtonville,  in  New  York  State.  The  second  son,  William 
Arthur,  highly  distinguished  himself  in  the  Union  army  dur- 
ing the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

A  letter  from  Saratoga,  printed  in  the  Rutland  (Vt.)  Herald, 
gives  some  interesting  particulars  of  an  event  that  happened 
soon  after  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Arthur  at  Fairfield  : 

"Nearly  fifty  years  ago  the  writer,  then  a  small  boy,  lived  in  a  remote 
district  in  the  town  of  Fairfield,  Vermont,  which  joins  St.  Albans  on  the 
east.  I  well  remember  the  advent  to  that  neighborhood  of  a  Baptist  preacher 
of  Irish  birth,  but  of  remarkable  ability  and  eloquence.  He  drew  audiences 
unheard  of  before  in  that  rustic  community,  where  there  was  a  flourishing 
Baptist  Church.  He  at  first  preached  in  the  district  school  house,  which 
soon  failed  to  hold  half  of  his  audience.  Finally  a  spacious  neighboring  barn. 


LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


was  pressed  into  service  as  a  place  of  worship.  I  well  remember  the  ap- 
pearance of  that  audience.  The  women  were  mostly  seated  in  improvised 
seats  of  slabs  upon  the  barn  floor.  The  deacons  and  older  men  occupied  the 
stable,  the  young  folks  climbed  upon  the  hay-mow,  while  certain  adventu- 
rous boys  perched  aloft  among:  the  beams.  To  this  audience  that  eloquent  and 
well-educated  young  minister  preached  with  great  effect,  and  many  conver- 
sions were  the  result  of  his  labors.  A  meeting-house  was  soon  built,  in  which 
he  afterward  preached.  On  moving  his  family  to  the  place  of  his  labors, 
there  was  no  vacant  house  suitable  to  receive  them;  the  large  families  of  the 
fanners  filled  all  desirable  tenements.  The  minister,  with  his  wife  and  four 
young  daughters,  moved  into  a  small  log  cabin,  only  a  few  rods  from  the 
humble  dwelling  of  my  parents,  to  remain  there  till  a  small  but  comfortable 
parsonage  should  be  built  across  the  way.  One  night  my  mother  was  mys- 
teriously absent,  and  our  anxious  inquiries  concerning  her  whereabouts  were 
answered  gravely  but  evasively  by  our  father,  but  she  returned  in  the  morn- 
ing to  the  care  of  her  own  little  flock,  her  face  radiant  with  smiles,  and 
astonished  us  with  the  intelligence  that  a  new  boy  had  been  sent  to  the 
minister's  during  the  night.  She  said  that  the  reverend  gentleman  quite 
forgot  the  dignity  of  his  office,  and  nearly  danced  up  and  down  with  wild 
delight  when  my  grandmother  informed  him  that  '  it  was  a  boy,'  and  that 
boy,  born  in  that  humble  log  cabin,  is  now  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  Last  summer  1  had  the  curiosity  to  identify  the  site  of  the  old  log 
cabin  where  General  Arthur  was  born.  It  was  in  the  northeast  portion  of 
Fairfleld,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  old  brick  meeting-house,  so  long  a  conspic- 
uous feature  in  the  landscape,  and  where  his  father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Arthur, 
preached.  In  a  rugged  pasture  on  the  hillside  only  a  slight  hollow  marks 
the  spot  where  stood  the  log  cabin  in  which  the  distinguished  son  of  Ver- 
mont first  saw  the  light,  more  than  fifty  years  ago.  The  old  parsonage 
where  he  spent  his  early  childhood  is  still  standing." 

Chester  A.  Arthur  found  his  father's  fine  knowledge  of  the 
Latin  and  Greek  classics  of  great  advantage  to  him.  when  he 
came  to  prepare  for  college.  His  preparation  first  began  in 
Union  Village,  now  Greenwich,  a  beautiful  village  of  Washing- 
ton County,  New  York,  and  was  concluded  at  the  grammar 
school  at  Schenectady. 

The  Hon.  James  I.  Lourie,  now  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
Greenwich,  who  formerly  taught  in  the  academy  there,  in  a 
letter  to  the  Editor  of  the  Leavenworth  Times,  recounting  the 
subsequent  career  of  some  of  his  pupils,  says  : 

"  Another  scholar  of  those  days,  though  only  about  twelve  years  of  age, 
was  Chester  A.  Arthur.  His  eyes  were  dark  and  brilliant,  and  his  physical 
system  finely  formed.  He  was  frank  and  open  in  his  manners  and  genial  in 
his  disposition.  Even  at  that  early  age  be  was  a,  favorite  with  all  who  knew 


CHESTER  A.   ARTHUR.  397 

him.  He  was  full  of  life  and  animation.  His  active  abilities,  his  courage 
and  his  strength  of  will,  made  him  a  leader  among  his  companions.  One  of 
his  sisters,  an  excellent  and  beautiful  girl,  died  here  at  the  old  Baptist  par- 
sonage where  the  Rev.  Dr.  Arthur  resided.  He  afterward  graduated  at 
Union  College,  and  settled  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  distinguished  him- 
seif  as  a  leading  and  reliable  statesman.  A  few  years  ago,  while  he  was 
C<  Elector  of  the  Port  of  New  York,  he  came  here  to  visit  his  old  home.  He 
was  exceedingly  interested  in  all  the  familiar  places  in  and  around  the  vil- 
lage, and  especially  in  the  parsonage.  He  went  through  every  room,  from 
the  cellar  to  the  roof  of  the  old,  time-worn  building.  He  met  his  early 
friends  with  great  cordiality.  There  is  no  more  genial,  reliable,  noble- 
hearted  man  in  the  State  of  New  York  than  Chester  A.  Arthur." 

Thanks  to  his  fine  training  young  Arthur  took  a  high  position 
in  Union  College,  which  he  entered  in  1845,  when  only  fifteen 
years  old.  Every  year  of  his  college  course  he  was  declared  to  be 
one  of  those  who  had  taken  "maximum  honors  ;"  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  his  college  course,  out  of  a  class  of  more  than  one 
hundred  members,  he  was  one  of  six  who  were  elected  members 
of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society,  the  condition  of  entrance  to 
which  is  the  highest  scholarship.  This  was  the  more  creditable 
to  him  as  he  was  compelled  to  absent  himself  from  college  two 
winters  during  his  course,  to  earn  money  to  go  on  with  his 
education.  His  father  was  receiving  a  small  salary,  and  had  a 
large  family  to  support.  When  sixteen  years  old,  therefore, 
and  a  Sophomore,  young  Arthur  left  college,  and  obtaining  a 
school  at  Schaghticoke,  Rensselaer  County,  taught  there  through- 
out the  winter.  He  also  had  to  keep  up  his  studies  in  college. 
In  the  last  year  of  his  college  course  he  again  taught  during  the 
winter  at  Schaghticoke.  He  was  graduated,  at  eighteen  years  of 
age,  from  Union  College,  in  the  class  of  1848.  In  college  he  had 
been  very  popular  with  his  fellow-students,  and  had  become  a 
member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  fraternity,  in  whose  welfare  he  ever 
after  took  a  keen  interest. 

At  college  he  had  determined  to  become  a  lawyer.  Accord- 
ingly, upon  graduation  he  went  to  a  law  school  at  Ballston 
Springs,  and  there  remained  diligently  studying  for  several 
months.  He  then  returned  to  Lansingburg,  where  his  father 
then  resided,  and  studied  law.  In  1851  he  obtained  a  sicuation 
as  principal  of  an  academy  at  North  Pownal,  Bennington 
County,  Vermont.  He  prepared  boys  for  college,  all  the  while 


398  LIVES  OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

studying  law.  Two  years  after  he  left  North  Pownal,  in  1853, 
a  student  from  Williams  College  named  James  A.  Garfleld 
came  to  that  place,  and  in  the  same  academy  building  taught 
penmanship  throughout  one  winter.  It  was  a  singular  cir- 
cumstance that  after  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  both  these 
men  should  meet  at  a  great  political  convention  and  unexpect- 
edly to  themselves  be  chosen  as  the  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party  for  President  and  Vice-President. 

Mr.  Arthur  removed  to  New  York  in  1853  and  entered  the 
law  office  of  E.  D.  Culver  as  a  law  student.  By  the  strictest 
economy  he  had  saved  $500,  and  with  this  determined  to  start 
out  in  business  life.  He  had  known  Mr.  Culver  when  the  lat- 
ter was  a  Congressman  from  Washington  County,  and  when 
Mr.  Arthur's  father  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  the 
village  of  Greenwich,  in  that  county.  Mr.  Culver  was  cele- 
brated in  Congress  for  his  firm  anti-slavery  principles.  The 
association  thus  formed  was  the  more  congenial  to  young 
Arthur  because  of  the  strong  anti-slavery  sentiments  which  he 
had  already  derived  from  his  father.  Dr.  Arthur  had  enjoyed 
the  intimate  friendship  of  Gerritt  Smith,  and  that  famous 
leader  in  true  Republicanism  had  often  been  his  guest,  and 
several  times  occupied  his  pulpit.  Together,  at  Utica,  October 
21st,  1835,  they  had  taken  a  perilous  part  in  the  first  meeting  of 
the  New  York  Anti-Slavery  Society,  which  was  scattered  by 
rioters,  and  its  leaders  mobbed  on  the  very  day  when,  in  Bos- 
ton, a  similar  meeting  had  been  broken  up  by  a  mob,  and 
William  Lloyd  Garrison  dragged  through  the  streets  by  a  rope 
until  rescued  by  the  Mayor  and  lodged  in  jail  for  his  own  pro- 
tection. 

Admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1854,  Mr.  Arthur  became  at  once  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Culver,  Parker  &  Arthur. 

Already  there  were  signs  of  the  coming  struggle  over  slavery. 
Mr.  Arthur's  ability  as  a  lawyer,  as  well  as  his  strong  anti- 
slavery  sentiments,  had  already  been  shown  by  his  successful 
management  of  the  celebrated  Lemmon  slave  case.  In  1852,  a 
slaveholder  of  Virginia  named  Jonathan  Lemmon  determined 
to  take  eight  slaves  to  Texas.  He  brought  them  by  steamer 
from  Norfolk  to  New  York,  intending  to  reship  them  from  New 


CHESTER  A.   ARTHUR.  399 

York  for  Texas.  While  in  New  York  these  slaves  were  discov- 
ered by  a  free  colored  man  named  Louis  Napoleon.  He  had 
been  told  that  slaves  could  not  legally  be  held  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  He  accordingly  presented  a  petition  to  Elijah 
Paine,  a  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of  New  York,  asking 
that  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  be  issued  to  the  persons  having 
the  slaves  in  charge,  commanding  them  to  bring  the  slaves  into 
court  at  once.  Mr.  Culver  and  John  Jay  appeared  as  counsel 
for  the  slaves,  and  H.  D.  Lapaugh  and  Henry  L.  Clinton  for 
Lemmon.  Judge  Paine,  after  hearing  long  arguments,  ordered 
the  slaves  released,  affirming  that  the  fugitive-slave  law  did 
not  apply  to  them,  and  that  no  human  creature  could  be  held 
in  bondage  in  the  State,  except  under  that  national  law.  This 
decision  created  great  excitement  in  the  slave  States,  as  it  prac- 
tically made  every  slave  free  who  should,  not  being  a  fugitive, 
be  brought  by  his  master  into  a  free  State.  Governor  Cobb,  of 
Georgia,  thought  the  decision  would  be  "just  cause  for  war." 
Governor  Johnson,  of  Virginia,  said: 

"In  importance  it  is  of  the  first  magnitude,  and  in  spirit  it  is  without  a 
parallel.  If  sustained,  it  will  not  only  destroy  that  comity  which  should  have 
subsisted  between  the  several  States  composing  this  Confederacy,  but  must 
seriously  affect  the  value  of  slave  property  wherever  found." 

Inspired  by  this  message,  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  directed 
the  Attorney -General  of  the  State  to  employ  counsel  to  appeal 
from  the  decision  of  Judge  Paine  to  the  higher  courts  of  New 
York.  Mr.  Arthur  went  to  Albany,  and,  after  persistent  effort, 
induced  the  Legislature  of  New  York  to  take  up  the  challenge  ; 
and  he  procured  the  passage  of  a  joint  resolution  requesting  the 
Governor  to  appoint  counsel  to  defend  the  interests  of  the 
State.  Ogden  Hoffman,  then  Attorney-General  ;  E.  D.  Culver 
and  Joseph  Blunt  were  appointed  the  counsel  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Arthur  was  the  State's  attorney  in  the  matter,  and  upon  the 
death  of  Ogden  Hoffman  he  associated  with  him  William  M. 
Evarts  as  counsel.  The  Supreme  Court  sustained  Judge  Paine's 
decision.  Thereupon,  to  strengthen  their  cause,  the  slavehold- 
ers engaged  Charles  O'Conor  to  argue  the  case  before  the  Court 
of  Appeals.  But  there  again  the  counsel  for  the  State  were 
successful  in  defending  Judge  Paine's  decision ;  and  thence- 


400  LIVES   OF  OUK  PRESIDENTS. 

forth  no  slaveholder  dared  venture  into  the  State  of  New  York 
with  his  slaves. 

Mr.  Arthur  became  such  a  champion  of  their  interests  in  the 
eyes  of  the  colored  people  by  his  connection  with  this  case  that 
it  was  natural  they  should  seek  his  aid  when  nc xt  in  trouble. 
The  street  car  companies  of  New  York,  cringing  to  the  senti- 
ments of  the  slaveholders,  made  almost  no  provision  for  the 
transportation  of  colored  people.  Upon  several  of  the  lines  oc- 
casionally there  could  be  seen  passing  by  an  old  and  shabby- 
looking  car  labeled,  "Colored  persons  allowed  in  this  car." 
Several  of  the  lines  did  not^  make  even  this  provision.  This 
was  the  case  of  the  rich  Fourth  Avenue  line.  One  Sunday  in 
1855,  a  neatly-dressed  colored  woman  named  Lizzie  Jennings, 
who  had  just  come  from  fulfilling  her  duties  as  superintendent 
of  a  colored  Sunday-school,  hailed  a  Fourth  Avenue  car.  The 
car  stopped,  she  took  a  seat,  and  the  conductor  took  her  fare — 
thus  silently  acknowledging  her  right  to  ride  in  the  car.  The 
car  went  on  a  block,  and  then  a  drunken  white  man  said  to  the 
conductor  : 

"  Are  you  going  to  let  that nigger  ride  in  this  car?" 

"  Oh,  Iguessit  wont  make  any  difference,"  said  the  conductor. 

"  Yes,  but  it  will,"  answered  the  pro-slavery  man  ;  "  I  have 
paid  my  fare,  and  I  want  a  decent  ride,  and  I  tell  you  you've 
got  to  give  me  a  decent  ride." 

Thereupon  the  conductor  went  to  Lizzie  Jennings  and  asked 
her  to  leave  the  car,  offering  to  return  her  fare.  She  refused 
to  comply  with  the  request.  The  car  was  stopped  and  the  con- 
ductor attempted  to  put  her  off  by  force.  She  strenuously  re- 
sisted, all  the  while  crying  :  "I  have  paid  my  fare  and  I  am 
entitled  to  ride."  Her  clothing  was  almost  torn  from  her  body, 
but  still  she  resisted,  and  resisted  successfully.  Finally,  the 
conductor  had  to  call  in  several  policemen,  and  by  their  efforts 
she  was  finally  removed  from  the  car.  Influential  colored  peo- 
ple soon  heard  of  her  treatment,  and  going  to  the  office  of  Cul- 
ver, Parker  &  Arthur,  told  them  all  about  it.  They  at  once 
told  them  that  her  wrongs  should  be  righted.  A  suit  was 
brought  against  the  railway  company  in  her  behalf  in  the  Su- 
preme Court  in  Brooklyn.  Public  sentiment  was  still  on  the 


CHESTER  A.   ARTHUR.  401 

side  of  the  slaveholder,  however,  and  even  the  judge  seemed  pre- 
judiced. When  Mr.  Arthur  handed  him  the  papers  in  the  case, 
he  said  :  "Pshaw  !  do  you  ask  me  to  try  a  case  against  a  corpo- 
ration for  the  wrongful  act  of  its  agent  ?"  Mr.  Arthur  immedi- 
ately pointed  out  a  section  of  the  Revised  Statutes  under  which 
the  action  had  been  brought,  making  a  corporation  liable  for 
the  acts  of  its  servants.  Ifc  could  not  be  disputed,  and  upon  trial 
of  the  case,  judgment  in  favor  of  Lizzie  Jennings  to  the 
amount  of  $500  was  rendered.  Without  further  contest  the 
railroad  company  paid  the  mcney.  It  then  issued  orders  to  its 
conductors  that  colored  people  should  be  allowed  to  ride  in 
their  cars.  All  the  city  railroad  companies  followed  the  exam- 
ple. The  "  Colored  People's  Legal  Rights  Association  "  annu- 
ally for  years  celebrated  the  anniversary  of  the  day  on  which 
Mr.  Arthur  won  their  celebrated  case. 

It  was  in  the  year  1856  that  Mr.  Arthur  b^gan  to  be  prominent 
in  politics  in  New  York  City.  He  had  taken  an  active  interest 
in  politics  elsewhere  at  a  very  early  age.  He  sympathized  with 
the  Whig  party,  and  was  an  ardent  admirer  of  Henry  Clay.  It 
is  related  of  him  that  during  the  contest  between  Polk  and  Clay, 
he  was  leader  of  the  boys  of  Whig  parentage  in  Greenwich 
village,  who  determined  to  raise  an  ash  pole  in  honor  of  Henry 
Clay.  They  were  attacked  by  the  boys  of  Democratic  parent- 
age while  doing  so,  and  for  a  time  driven  off  the  village  green. 
But  they  were  rallied  by  young  Arthur  and,  he  leading  a  des- 
perate charge,  the  Democrats  were  driven  with  broken  heads 
from  the  field.  Then,  with  a  shout  of  triumph,  the  Whig  boys 
raised  the  ash  pole.  His  first  vote  was  cast  in  1852  for  Winfield 
Scott  for  President.  In  New  York  City  Arthur  identified  him- 
self with  the  "practical  men "  in  politics  by  joining  political 
associations  of  his  party  and  at  the  polls  acting  as  inspector  on 
election  day. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  at  Saratoga  that 
founded  the  Republican  party.  During  these  political  labors 
he  became  acquainted  with  Edwin  D.  Morgan  and  gained  his 
ardent  friendship.  Governor  Morgan,  when  re-elected  in  1860, 
testified  to  his  high  esteem  for  Arthur  by  making  him  Engineer- 
in-Chief  on  his  staff. 


403  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

Mr.  Arthur  had  for  several  years  previously  taken  a  great 
interest  in  the  militia  organization  of  the  State,  and  had  been 
appointed  Judge  Advocate  General  of  the  Second  Brigade.  In 
this  position  he  was  associated  with  many  men  who  afterward 
took  part  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  and  held  high  positions. 
Brigadier-General  Yates,  who  commanded  the  Second  Brigade, 
was  a  very  thorough  disciplinarian,  and  for  several  years 
required  all  the  brigade  and  staff  officers  to  meet  every  week 
for  instruction.  In  this  manner  they  became  very  proficient 
in  military  tactics  and  regulations,  and  the  instruction  proved 
to  be  of  inestimable  advantage  to  General  Arthur  in  the  great 
and  exceedingly  responsible  duties  to  which  he  was  soon  to  be 
called. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  in  April,  1861, 
found  him  still  Engineer- in-Chief.  The  day  after  Fort  Sumter 
was  fired  upon,  while  on  the  way  to  his  law  office,  he  received  a 
dispatch  from  Governor  Morgan  summoning  him  to  Albany. 
Upon  reaching  there  Governor  Morgan  requested  him  to  open 
a  branch  Quartermaster's  Department  in  New  York  City,  and 
fulfill  all  the  duties  there  of  Quartermaster-General.  General 
Arthur  was  young,  strong  and,  as  Governor  Morgan  saw,  of  a 
vigorous  nature.  The  Governor  put  in  his  hands  the  duty  of 
quartering,  subsisting,  uniforming,  equipping  and  arming  New 
York's  soldiers  for  war.  It  was  not  only  a  herculean  task,  but 
was  one  of  special  difficulty,  for  there  was  no  broad  road  of  ex- 
perience to  guide  the  young  man.  Men  who  had  been  trained 
in  the  small  regular  Army,  or  in  the  still  smaller  State  militia 
regiments,  were  staggered  by  the  enormous  tasks  set  before 
them  in  the  equipment  and  forwarding  of  several  hundred 
thousand  men  to  the  seat  of  war.  There  was  nothing  for  which 
General  Arthur  afterward  received  higher  praise  than  the  way 
he  rose  to  the  height  of  the  occasion  in  all  difficulties  that  beset 
him  in  the  toilsome  years  which  followed.  He  was  the  brains, 
the  organizing  force,  that  took  the  raw  levies  of  New  York, 
put  uniforms  on  their  backs,  muskets  in  their  hands,  and  sent 
them  on  to  the  war.  Governor  Morgan  practically  made 
him  the  War  Minister  of  the  State,  shifting  him  from  place  to 
place  on  his  staff,  and  from  time  to  time  transferring  to  him 


CHESTER  A.    ARTHUR.  403 

the  duties  of  other  military  officers  of  the  State,  in  order  that 
the  work  might  be  properly  and  quickly  done.  He  was  virtually 
the  centre  about  which  all  the  military  operations  of  the  State 
revolved.  He  did  not  go  near  his  law  office  during  the  first  two 
years  of  the  war.  His  task  was  to  create,  almost  out  of  noth- 
ing, a  great  department  for  the  provision  and  equipment  of  an 
army.  He  succeeded,  and  had  the  proud  satisfaction  of  seeing 
that  New  York  had  sent  one-fifth  of  all  the  soldiers  that 
marched  to  subdue  the  Rebellion — a  splendid  contingent  of 
690,000  men. 

It  is  well  to  recall  some  details  of  his  work  at  this  time. 
When  he  began  in  New  York,  in  April,  1861,  to  perform  the 
work  of  Quartermaster-General,  there  were  thousands  of  enlisted 
men  in  the  city  to  be  subsisted  and  equipped,  the  militia  regi- 
ments were  departing  for  the  war  from  this  State,  and  New 
England  regiments  were  passing  through  the  city.  All  these 
regiments  had  to  be  fed  and  quarters  provided  for  them — where 
none  existed.  Wealthy  citizens  of  New  York  aided  General 
Arthur  generously,  giving  him  the  right  to  occupy  their  build- 
ings. Mr.  Astor,  Mr.  Devlin  and  Mr.  Goelet  were  conspicuous 
in  this  service.  The  number  of  troops  passing  through  the  city 
finally  became  so  great  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  provide 
more  quarters  for  them.  Then  it  was  that  barracks  were 
erected  in  the  City  Hall  Park.  To  get  them  ready  for  the  troops, 
workmen,  under  General  Arthur's  direction,  worked  night  and 
day.  Meanwhile,  the  work  of  creating  a  Quartermaster's  De- 
partment went  on.  General  Arthur  advertised  for  proposals 
for  subsistence  for  the  troops,  and  succeeded  in  making  a  con- 
tract at  rates  one-third  lower  than  those  paid  by  the  United 
States  Government.  This  saved  the  State  many  thousands  of 
dollars.  Everything  was  done  in  a  business-like  way;  from  the 
first  day  the  quartermaster's  stores  were  issued  on  regular  Army 
requisitions,  and  receipts  were  demanded  for  everything.  It  was 
natural  that  contractors  should  seek  to  ingratiate  themselves 
with  a  man  who  was  buying  such  enormous  quantities  of  sup- 
plies. But  every  present  that  reached  Mr.  Arthur  with  this 
motive  was  at  once  returned  to  the  sender. 

The  troops  poured  into  New  York  by  the  thousands,  and  it 


404  LIVES   OF  OUK   PRESIDENTS. 

was  found  necessary  every  day  to  provide  additional  quarters. 
General  Arthur  built  more  barracks  at  various  places  on  Long 
Island,  on  Staten  Island  and  Hiker's  Island.  The  first  quota  of 
the  State,  outside  of  the  militia  regiments,  was  for  thirty-eight 
regiments.  These  regiments  were  organized  in  different  parts 
of  t^e  State  in  the  Spring  of  1861.  The  work  of  quartering, 
subsisting,  uniforming,  equipping  and  arming  these  regiments 
went  on  without  regard  to  Sunday  or  the  hours  of  sleep.  For 
months  General  Arthur  did  not  sleep  over  three  hours  a  night. 
Whoever  had  any  business  connected  with  the  army  came  to 
the  State  headquarters  in  Elm  street  (afterward  in  Walker 
street),  and  consequently  Arthur's  office  was  constantly 
besieged  by  crowds.  All  sorts  of  adventurers  went  on  to  Wash- 
ington, obtained  commissions  to  raise  troops,  and  returning  to 
New  York  began  their  work.  All  these  classes  required  the 
close  supervision  of  General  Arthur,  as  they  would  endeavor  to 
act  independently  of  his  office.  His  ability  to  deal  with  these 
men,  many  of  whom  were  of  a  very  rough  character,  was 
highly  praised  at  the  time.  Several  instances  of  his  energetic 
action  are  remembered  to  this  day.  One  of  the  adventurers 
was  "  Billy  "  Wilson,  who  had  been  the  representative  in  the 
New  York  Board  of  Aldermen  of  the  roughest  element  of  the 
city  population,  and  who  bad  been  authorized  at  Washington 
to  raise  a  regiment  from  this  class.  The  regiment  at  one  time 
refused  to  eat  the  Government  rations  and  supported  itself  by 
raiding  on  the  restaurants  in  the  vicinity  of  its  barracks. 
General  Arthur,  hearing  of  these  outrages,  sent  for  Wilson,  and 
told  him  that  he  must  put  an  end  to  them.  Wilson  thereupon 
said,  in  an  impudent  manner : 

'•  Neither  you  nor  the  Governor  has  anything  to  do  with  me. 
I  am  a  colonel  in  the  United  States  service,  and  you've  got  no 
right  to  order  me." 

"  You  are  not  a  colonel,"  indignantly  replied  Arthur,  "and 
you  will  not  be  until  you  have  raised  your  regiment  to  its  quota 
of  men  and  received  your  commission." 

"Well,  I've  got  my  shoulder-straps,  anyway,"  said  Wilson, 
"and  as  long  as  I  wear  them  I  don't  want  no  orders  from  any  of 
you  fellows," 


CHESTER  A.    ARTHUK.  405 

He  had  scarcely  made  this  insolent  reply,  when  Arthur,  who 
is  a  very  strong  man,  sprang  toward  him,  saying  : 

"  We'll  make  short  work  of  your  shoulder-straps,"  and  tear- 
ing the  straps  from  Wilson's  shoulders,  put  him  under  arrest. 

He  had  a  similar  experience  with  Colonel  Ellsworth's  Fire 
Zouaves,  who  were  quartered  in  Devlin's  building,  on  Canal 
street.  One  day  the  members  of  the  regiment  refused  to  un- 
pack their  muskets  from  the  boxes  in  which  they  had  been  re- 
ceived. General  Arthur  having  been  applied  to  by  Colonel 
Ellsworth,  went  among  the  throng  with  several  policemen,  had 
the  ringleaders  in  the  revolt  pointed  out  to  him,  and  said  : 
"  Arrest  that  man,  and  that  one,  and  that  one."  His  orders 
were  obeyed,  the  regiment  was  cowed,  and  there  were  no  more 
revolts  of  that  nature.  The  regiment  had  an  amusing  experi- 
ence on  starting  for  the  war.  It  was  organized  on  the  very 
original  plau  of  having  attached  to  it  a  battery  of  light  artil- 
lery and  a  troop  of  cavalry.  Furthermore,  it  had  120  men  to  the 
company,  being  more  than  the  regulation  complement.  The 
War  Department  sent  orders  to  Governor  Morgan  that  the  regi- 
ment should  not  be  mustered  into  the  service  or  leave  the  city 
until  it  had  equalized  or  reduced  its  companies.  But  that  very 
day  the  regiment,  1,300  strong,  had  received  a  stand  of  colors 
from  Mrs.  Astor,  in  Canal  street,  and  was  on  its  way  to  the 
steamer  Baltic,  to  take  passage  for  the  South.  General  Wool 
had  reviewed  the  regiment,  and,  induced  by  the  persuasion  of 
the  officers  of  the  regiment,  had  rescinded  the  order  for  its  de- 
tention. The  regiment  had  then  marched  proudly  to  the  troop- 
ship, which  soon  afterward  steamed  down  the  harbor.  An 
hour  after  the  steamer  had  sailed  an  officer  strolled  into  the 
Elm  street  headquarters  and  said  accidentally : 

"  Well,  the  Fire  Zouaves  have  got  off  at  last." 

"  Got  off  ?  "  said  Arthur,  in  amazement ;  ' '  that's  not  possible. 
Orders  have  been  received  from  Washington,  forbidding  them 
to  leave,  and  there  is  not  a  pound  of  provisions  of  any  sort  on 
the  troop-ship,  as  I  countermanded  the  order  which  had  been 
given." 

It  was  clear  that  the  regiment  must  be  provided  for  at  short 
notice.  General  Arthur  jumped  into  a  carriage,  drove  to  an 


406  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

army  contractor,  and  ordered  the  rations.  "  Impossible  to  sup- 
ply them  at  such  short  notice,"  said  the  contractor.  '"It's  not 
impossible,  and  you  must  do  it.  I  will  pay  you  fifty  cents, 
instead  of  the  usual  rate  of  thirty-five  cents  a  ration,  and  will 
have  them  transported  myself  to  the  Baltic."  Stimulated  by 
this  reward,  the  contractor  got  together  five  days'  rations  for 
1,300  men  in  an  hour.  Arthur,  meanwhile,  had  hired  every  tug 
he  could  obtain.  He  put  the  rations  on  these  tugs,  caught  up 
with  the  Baltic  at  the  Narrows1— where  the  regimental  officers 
had  discovered  the  deficiency  and  come  to  anchor — and  pro- 
visioned the  ship.  The  Baltic  sailed  the  same  night. 

The  "  Ulster  County  Guards,"  in  which  the  present  General 
George  H.  Sharpe  was  a  captain,  was  a  regiment  of  excellent 
character.  It  was  composed  of  men  from  the  finest  families  of 
Ulster  County.  On  their  way  to  Washington  they  occupied 
the  Park  Barracks  on  the  night  they  were  completed.  They 
had  hardly  got  possession  before  orders  came  from  the  War 
Department  to  Governor  Morgan  that  the  regiment  should  re- 
turn home,  as  no  more  three-months  regiments  were  to  be 
accepted.  The  regiment  was  almost  beside  itself  with  rage  and 
disappointment.  Thereupon  Arthur  took  a  night  train  for 
Albany,  described  to  Governor  Morgan  the  martial  character 
of  the  regiment  and  the  damaging  effect  of  its  being  compelled 
to  return  home,  and  insisted  upon  its  being  sent  onto  Washing- 
ton. He  obtained  the  necessary  permission,  and  returned  to 
New  York  by  a  special  train.  He  reached  the  barracks  at  one 
A.  M.,  and  told  the  good  news.  The  joy  of  the  regiment  was 
indescribable.  A  volunteer  regiment  was  thus  saved  the  ser- 
vice, for  nearly  all  re-enlisted  for  three  years  at  the  end  of  their 
three  months'  service.  The  regiment  throughout  the  war 
named  its  camps  "  Camp  Arthur,"  in  gratitude  for  this  service 
of  General  Arthur. 

It  was  his  readiness  to  deal  with  such  matters  that  led  Gov- 
ernor Morgan  to  intrust  Arthur  with  the  management  of  the 
war  affairs  of  the  State.  As  the  immediate  representative  of 
Governor  Morgan  he  became  known  to  army  officers  from 
every  section,  and  this  was  the  foundation  of  his  large  per- 
sonal acquaintance  in  the  State. 


CHESTER  A.    ARTHUR.  407 

In  the  fall  of  1861,  after  thirty-eight  regiments  had  been  fur- 
nished, ifrwas  seen  that  the  Government  would  be  glad  to  accept 
troops  without  limit ;  and  as  the  State  had  furnished  the  full 
quota  of  those  regularly  called  for  through  the  Governor,  num- 
bers of  men  of  desperate  fortunes,  adventurers,  went  to  Washing- 
ton and  obtained  authority  to  raise  regiments.  They  came  to  New 
York  and  began  to  raise  troops,  claiming  to  be  independent  of 
State  authority.  There  were  parts  of  over  a  hundred  regiments 
being  raised  at  one  time.  General  Arthur  made  an  investiga- 
tion as  to  the  character  of  these  adventurers,  and  found  that 
many  of  them  were  men  of  bad  antecedents.  One  of  them,  who 
afterward  adorned  Ludlow  Street  Jail,  advertised  for  "young 
gentlemen  of  pious  character  "  for  his  regiment,  and  sold  com- 
missions in  the  regiment.  Another  hired  the  old  New  York 
Club  House,  then  vacant,  ordered  a  service  of  plate,  furnished 
the  house  handsomely  and  ran  into  debt  to  tradesmen  all  over 
the  city,  ostensibly  in  behalf  of  the  regiment .  These  men  defied 
the  authority  of  the  State  officers.  Arthur  advised  Governor 
Morgan  to  claim  from  the  United  States  Government  supervision 
over  all  the  troops  raised  in  New  York,  as  Governor  of  the  State, 
and  also  to  obtain  the  commission  of  major-general  in  the  United 
States  service.  Governor  Morgan,  accompanied  by  General  Ar- 
thur, went  on  to  Washington,  and  Arthur  depicted  to  the  War 
Department  officials  the  character  of  the  men  they  had  commis- 
sioned. The  officials  were  amazed  at  the  result  of  their  indis- 
criminate issue  of  authorizations  to  raise  independent  regiments, 
and  readily  consented  to  the  suggestion  that  Governor  Morgan 
should  be  made  a  major-general,  that  a  Department  of  New  York 
should  be  established  and  that  all  the  independent  organiza- 
tions should  be  put  under  Governor  Morgan's  authority.  At 
this  time  Arthur  was  Acting  Adjutant-General  of  New  York, 
and  was  also  actually  doing  the  work  of  the  Engineer-in-Chief, 
Inspector-General  and  Quartermaster-General.  As  Inspector- 
General,  he  afterward  consolidated  all  the  uncompleted  regi- 
ments in  the  State. 

One  Sunday  in  March,  1862,  there  came  hurrying  into  his 
office,  almost  breathless,  and  very  red  in  the  face,  Colonel  Gus- 
tavus  Loomis,  the  oldest  regular  infantry  officer  in  the  service. 


408  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

"What  in  the  world  has  happened,  Colonel?"  said  Arthur, 
offering  the  veteran  a  chair. 

"  The  rebel  ram  Merrimac  !  The  rebel  ram  Merrimac,"  faintly 
said  Colonel  Loomis. 

"  Well,  what  about  her  ?" 

"  I  ha\e  a  dispatch  from  General  McClellan  saying  that  she 
has  sunk  two  United  States  ships — that  she  is  coming  to  New 
York  to  shell  the  city — may  be  expected  at  any  moment — I'm  so 
out  of  breath  running  to  tell  you  the  news,  that  I  can  hardly 
speak." 

General  Arthur  hastened  to  General  Sanford,  who  com- 
manded the  First  Division  of  New  York  State  Militia,  and  had 
him  send  to  the  forts  in  the  harbor,  from  his  artillery  regiment, 
such  men  as  had  been  trained  to  the  use  of  heavy  ordnance ; 
Colonel  Loomis  having  reported  that  the  forts  were  filled  with 
regular  recruits  who  didn't  know  bow  to  handle  the  guns.  It 
was  then  discovered  that  there  was  no  powder  in  the  forts ; 
but  fortunately  a  schooner  arrived  from  Connecticut  that  day 
loaded  with  powder,  and  Arthur  sent  it  to  the  forts.  He  then 
hurried  to  the  house  of  Mayor  Opdyke,  to  inform  him  of  the 
situation.  The  Mayor,  on  receiving  the  alarming  news,  sum- 
moned to  his  house  many  eminent  citizens.  They  proposed  to 
sink  ships  loaded  with  stone  in  the  Narrows  and  thus  bar  the 
approach  of  the  Merrimac  to  the  city.  General  Arthur  pro- 
tested that  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  a  scheme  that 
might  close  the  harbor  for  years  to  come.  The  council  dis- 
solved without  adopting  any  plan  for  the  protection  of  the 
city.  Fortunately  for  New  York,  news  came  during  the  night 
that  the  Monitor  had  reached  Hampton  Roads  that  day  and 
had  sunk  the  Merrimac, 

This  was  not  the  first  occasion  when  General  Arthur  had 
to  do  with  the  defense  of  the  seaport  of  New  York  during  the 
war.  When  Mason  and  Slidell  were  taken  from  the  Trent  by 
Captain  Wilkes.  and  war  seemed  imminent  with  England,  one 
day  in  December,  1861,  Arthur  summoned  the  most  eminent 
engineers  in  the  State  to  meet  him  in  New  York  to  consult 
about  the  defenses  of  the  harbor  For  two  months  this  Board 
of  Engineers,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  labored  constantly, 


CHESTER  A.   ARTHUR.  409 

and  at  the  end  of  that  time  produced  a  plan  for  the  defense  of 
the  harbor  which  won  universal  praise.  Before  its  completion, 
war  with  England  seeming  at  hand,  the  erection  of  a  tempo- 
rary barrier  across  the  harbor  was  proposed.  Colonel  Delafield, 
of  the  United  States  Engineers,  had  suggested  that  it  would  be 
practicable  to  construct  a  barrier  consisting  of  cribs  of  timber 
loaded  with  stone,  and  connected  and  held  in  place  by  chain 
cables.  An  immense  amount  of  timber  was  needed  for  such  a 
barrier  and  there  was  no  State  appropriation  with  which  to  buy 
it.  General  Arthur  took  upon  himself  the  responsibility  of  buy- 
ing it.  He  went  to  Albany  and  in  a  day  got  the  refusal  of  all 
the  timber  there  and  along  the  river.  He  also  made  a  contract 
for  the  timber  then  being  rafted  down  the  Hudson.  Unluckily, 
the  day  after  the  purchase  was  made  the  Hudson  froze,  and  it 
was  plain  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  deliver  it  before  spring. 
Undaunted,  he  returned  immediately  to  New  York  and  bought 
up  most  of  the  timber  there.  Before  the  proposed  barrier  could 
be  erected,  however,  Mason  and  Slidell  were  surrendered  to  Eng- 
land and  all  danger  of  war  passed  away.  But  the  State  had 
upon  its  hands  the  immense  quantity  of  timber  he  had  bought, 
and  grumblers  severely  criticised  the  purchase  in  the  State 
Senate.  General  Arthur  having  been  sent  for  by  the  Governor 
to  advise  about  the  disposition  of  the  timber,  went  to  Albany 
and  had  a  bill  then  before  the  Legislature  in  regard  to  war  ex- 
penditures amended  so  as  to  provide  for  the  sale  of  unused  war 
material.  The  bill  passed,  was  at  once  signed  by  Governor 
Morgan,  and  the  timber  was  sold  soon  afterward  at  a  profit  to 
the  State. 

In  February,  1862,  Arthur  was  appointed  Inspector-General, 
there  being  duty  to  perform  with  the  armies  in  the  field.  In 
May,  1862,  he  went  to  Fredericksburg,  and  inspected  the  New 
York  troops  there  under  the  command  of  General  McDowell. 
He  then  went  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  lying  near  the 
Chickahominy,  and  there  carefully  inspected  the  New  York 
troops  with  a  view  of  having  the  depleted  regiments  then  in 
service  filled  by  enlistments  to  their  proper  strength,  instead  of 
having  new  regiments  raised.  As  an  advance  on  Richmond 
was  daily  expected,  he  volunteered  for  duty  on  the  staff  of  his 


410  LIVES   OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

friend  Major-General  Hunt,  commander  of  the  reserve  artillery. 
It  is  well  to  state  here  that  shortly  after  the  commencement  of 
the  war  General  Arthur  was  offered  the  command  of  the  Ninth 
New  York  Militia,  which  enlisted  in  the  United  States  service 
for  two  years,  and  desired  to  accept  the  post,  but  Governor 
Morgan  would  not  release  him  from  the  more  important  work. 
The  year  afterward,  when  four  volunteer  regiments  had  been 
formed  through  the  efforts  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  Com- 
missioners of  the  City  of  New  York,  in  which  they  were  largely 
aided  by  General  Arthur,  the  colonels  of  the  regiments  offered 
him  the  command  of  the  brigade,  known  as  the  "  Metropolitan 
Brigade."  He  thereupon  made  formal  application  to  the 
Governor  for  permission  to  accept  the  command,  saying  that  it 
had  long  been  his  desire  to  have  active  service  in  the  field. 
Governor  Morgan  replied  that  he  could  not  be  spared  from  the 
service  of  the  State,  and  that  while  he  appreciated  Arthur's 
desire  for  war  service,  he  knew  he  would  do  far  more  valuable 
service  for  the  country  by  continuing  at  his  post  of  duty  in 
New  York  State. 

In  June,  1862,  the  affairs  of  the  country  looked  desperate. 
There  had  been  defeats,  regiments  were  getting  thinned  out, 
and  it  was  evident  a  great  levy  would  have  to  be  made.  Gov- 
ernor Morgan  telegraphed  General  Arthur,  then  with  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  to  return  to  New  York.  He  did  so,  and  was 
immediately  requested  to  act  as  secretary  at  a  secret  meeting  of 
the  Governors  of  loyal  States,  held  at  the  Astor  House  on  July 
28th,  1862.  At  this  meeting  President  Lincoln  was  requested 
by  the  Governors  to  call  for  more  men.  President  Lincoln,  on 
July  1st,  issued  a  proclamation  thanking  the  Governors  for  their 
patriotism  and  calling  for  300,000  volunteers  and  300,000  militia 
for  nine  months'  service.  Private  knowledge  that  such  a  call 
was  to  be  issued  would  have  enabled  contractors  to  have  made 
millions.  The  secret  was  kept  by  all,  however,  till  the  procla- 
mation was  issued.  The  quota  of  New  York  under  the  call  for 
300,000  volunteers  was  59,705.  It  was  desired  that  these  sixty 
regiments  should  be  recruited  and  got  to  the  seat  of  war  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  labor  would  fall  upon  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 


CHESTER  A.   ARTHUR.  411 

ment,  the  request  was  made  by  Governor  Morgan  to  Arthur 
that  he  should  take  his  old  post.  He  complied,  and  on  July  7th, 
1862,  again  became  Quartermaster-General,  and  set  energet- 
ically to  work. 

The  incoming  of  a  Democratic  State  Administration  deprived 
him  of  his  office  in  December,  1863.  His  Democratic  successor 
made  a  most  favorable  comment  upon  General  Arthur's  admin- 
istration in  his  annual  report  to  Governor  Seymour. 

Upon  his  retirement  from  office  General  Arthur  resumed  the 
active  duties  of  his  profession.  Hi^  partnership  with  Mr.  Gar- 
diner ceased  only  with  that  gentleman's  death  in  1866.  Alone 
for  over  five  years  he  carried  on  his  law  practice.  It  then  be- 
came so  large  that  he  formed,  in  1871,  the  now  well-known 
firm  of  Arthur,  Phelps,  Knevals  &  Ransom.  He  became  coun- 
sel to  the  Department  of  Taxes  and  Assessments,  at  a  salary  of 
$10,000  yearly,  but  abruptly  resigned  the  position  when  the 
Tammany  Hall  officials  at  the  head  of  the  New  York  depart- 
ments attempted  to  coerce  the  Republicans  connected  with 
those  departments. 

Gradually  he  was  drawn  into  political  life  again.  He  was 
very  much  interested  in  promoting  the  first  election  of  President 
Grant,  being  chairman  of  the  Central  Grant  Club  of  New  York. 
He  also  served  as  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Republican  State  Committee  of  New  York.  He  re-entered 
official  life  on  November  20th,  1871,  being  appointed  Collector 
of  the  Port  of  New. York  by  President  Grant.  The  post  of  Col- 
lector came  to  him  unsought  and  unexpectedly,  and  was  ac- 
cepted with  much  hesitation. 

The  appointment  met  with  the  general  approval  of  the  busi- 
ness community,  many  of  the  merchants  having  become  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  General  Arthur  during  the  war.  He 
instituted  many  reforms  in  the  management  of  the  Custom 
House — all  calculated  to  render  the  business  there  less  vex- 
atious than  it  ordinarily  is  to  the  mercantile  classes.  He  also 
performed  the  work  of  a  Collector  in  the  matter  of  appoint- 
ments and  removals  in  the  Custom  House  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  cause  less  than  the  usual  amount  of  commotion  among  poli- 
ticians. The  number  of  removals  during  his  administration 


412  LIVES    OF   OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

was  far  less  than  during  the  rule  of  any  other  Collector  since 
1857.  New  appointees  were  put  in  the  lowest  grades  of  Custom 
House  service  and  compelled  to  work  their  way  up  to  higher 
positions.  So  satisfactory  was  his  work  that  upon  the  close  of 
his  term  of  office,  in  December,  1875,  he  was  renominated  by 
President  Grant.  The  nomination  was  unanimously  confirmed 
by  the  Senate  without  referring  it  to  a  committee — a  compli- 
ment never  given  before  except  to  ex-Senators.  He  was  the 
first  Collector  of  the  Port  ever  reappointed  for  a  second  term, 
and  was,  with  only  one  or  two  exceptions,  the  only  one  who  in 
fifty  years  ever  held  the  office  for  more  than  the  whole  term  of 
four  years. 

General  Arthur  was  succeeded  as  Collector  in  1878  by  General 
E.  A.  Merritt.  He  then  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
In  the  fall  of  1879  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Republican 
State  Committee,  of  which  he  had  been  a  prominent  member 
for  many  years  before  his  appointment  as  Collector,  and  con- 
ducted the  victorious  campaign  of  that  year,  which  ended  in 
the  election  of  all  but  one  of  the  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party  for  six  State  offices. 

General  Arthur  was  married  in  1859  to  Ellen  Lewis  Herndon, 
of  Fredericksburg,  Virginia.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Captain 
William  Lewis  Herndon,  U.  S.  N.,  who  in  1851-2  gained  world- 
wide fame  as  commander  of  the  naval  expedition  sent  by  the 
United  States  to  explore  the  River  Amazon.  The  heroic  death 
of  Captain  Herndon,  while  in  command  of  the  United  States 
mail  steamship  Central  America,  some  twenty  years  ago,  is  still 
fresh  in  the  memory  of  many,  and  was  one  of  the  noble  deeds 
of  which  the  American  Navy  will  always  be  proud.  Mrs.  Arthur 
died  suddenly  in  the  early  part  of  January,  1880,  leaving  two 
children,  Chester  Alan  Arthur  and  Ellen  Herndon  Arthur. 

In  June,  1880,  General  Arthur  was  nominated  for  Vice- 
President  by  the  National  Republican  Convention,  held  at 
Chicago.  General  Stewart  L.  Woodford  proposed  his  name  in 
the  convention ;  and  the  nomination  was  seconded  by  ex- 
Governor  Dennison,  of  Ohio  ;  General  Kilpatrick,  of  New 
Jersey  ;  Emory  A.  Storrs,  of  Illinois  ;  John  Cessna,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  Chauncey  L.  Filley,  of  Missouri,  and  many  others. 


CHESTER  A.    ARTHUR.  413 

The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Garfield  and  Arthur, 
and  on  the  4th  of  March,  1881,  at  the  extra  session  of  the  Senate, 
General  Arthur  was  inaugurated  as  Vice-President  and  entered 
at  once  upon  his  duties  as  presiding  officer  of  the  Senate. 

For  a  short  time  the  adminisf ration  moved  smoothly,  but 
subsequently  there  arose  a  conflict  between  President  Garfi  Id 
and  Senator  Conkling,  mainly  in  reference  to  th^  appointment 
of  a  Collector  of  Customs  for  New  York.  Tn  this  quarrel  Gen- 
eral Arthur  took  sides  with  the  New  York  Senator,  and  a  hot 
contest  ensued  which  split  the  Republican  party  into  factions. 
That  faction  which  sided  with  Senator  Conkling  were  called 
'•Stalwarts,"  while  those  of  the  other  faction,  who  supported  the 
President,  were  termed  "Half  Breeds."  Ttis  probable  that  the 
appointment  of  James  G.  Blaine  to  a  seat  in  President  Garfield's 
Cabinet  was  the  first  firebrand  thrown  into  the  ranks  of  Senator 
Conkling  and  the  members  uf  the  party  who  had'supported  the 
nomination  of  General  Grant  and  fiercely  fought  the  Blaine 
party  at  the  National  Convention,  and  culminating  on  the  Col- 
lectorship,  resulted  in  the  resignation  of  the  New  York 
Senators  Conkling  and  Platt. 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  the  assassination  of 
President  Garfield  occurred,  and  immediately  all  party  bitterness 
was  ended  in  the  universal  grief,  sympathy  and  anxiety  of  the 
entire  country,  regardless  of  political  differences.  During  the 
long  and  terrible  suffering  of  the  President,  General  Arthur 
acted  with  the  truest  nobility  of  soul  and  a  modesty  that  is 
worthy  of  emulation.  He  refrained  from  exercising  any  of 
the  duties  of  the  Executive,  so  that  the  President  might  not  be 
affected  even  in  the  slightest  degree  by  a  thought  of  the  emer- 
gency, and  his  every  utterance  breathed  sympathy  for  the 
suffering  President  and  his  grief-stricken  family.  A  letter 
written  at  the  time  said  of  him : 

"  As  General  Arthur  sat  in  Senator  Jones'  parlor  to- night,  he  looked  like  a 
man  full  of  anxiety  and  sorrow.  He  scarcely  spoke  a  word  to  his  friend  the 
Senator,  and  often  did  not  answer  questions  that  were  put  to  him.  Aside 
from  the  grief  which  the  Vice-President  naturally  felt  in  his  deplorable  con- 
dition, there  is  the  dreadful  sense  of  the  great  responsibility  that  must  be 
laid  upon  him  if  the  President  should  not  recover  !  " 


414  LIVES    OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

During  the  long,  weary  weeks  that  followed,  General 
Arthur  returned  to  his  home  in  New  York,  and  exhibited 
such  delicacy  of  feeling  in  his  reluctance  to  assume  any  of  the 
executive  duties  while  the  President  lived,  that  lie  won  the 
highest  respect  even  of  his  political  enemies. 

But  the  day  was  rapidly  approaching  when  he  would  find 
the  frail  life-threads  of  the  assassinated  President  snapped 
asunder,  and  he  would  be  called  upon  to  take  up  the  mantle 
like  Joshua  of  old,  when  Moses  died  upon  the  mountain  top. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  the  members  of  the  Cabinet,  who 
had  remained  at  Elberon  until  the  end,  sent  the  following 
telegram  to  General  Arthur  : 

"  HOD.  CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR,  No.  123  Lexington  avenue,  New  York : 

"  It  becomes  our  painful  duty  to  inform  you  of  the  death  of  President 
Garfield,  and  to  advise  you  to  take  the  oath  of  office  without  delay.  If  it 
concurs  with  you*  judgment,  we  will  be  very  glad  if  you  will  come  down 
on  the  earliest  train  to-morrow  morning." 

This  was  signed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  Postmaster  General,  Attorney-General  and  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior. 

To  this  General  Arthur  at  once  sent  a  reply,  to  Hon.  Wayne 
MacVeagh,  the  Attorney-General,  expressing  his  great  grief  at 
the  intelligence  and  extending  his  deepest  sympathy  to  Mrs. 
Garfield.  His  next  step  was  to  send  immediately  for  Hon.  John 
R.  Brady,  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  before  whom  he  took  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of 
the  United  States. 

After  the  oath  was  administered,  President  Arthur  sent  the 
following  telegram  to  the  members  of  the  Cabinet : 

"NEW  YORK,  Sept.  20, 1881. 

"I  have  your  message  announcing  the  death  of  President  Garfield.  Per- 
mit me  to  renew  throusrh  you  the  expression  of  sorrow  and  sympathy 
which  I  have  already  telegraphed  to  Attorney-General  MacVeagh.  In  ac- 
cordance with  your  suggestion,  I  have  taken  the  oath  of  office  as  President 
before  the  Hon  John  K.  Brady,  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  I  will  soon  advise  you  further  in  regard  to  the  other 
suggestions  in  your  telegram.  C.  A.  ARTHUR." 

President  Arthur  soon  after  met  the  members  of  the  Cabinet 


CHESTER    A.   ARTHUR.  415 

at  Long  Branch,  and  after  attending  the  funeral  services  at 
Elberon,  he  accompanied  the  funeral  train  to  Washington, 
•where  on  the  next  day  he  underwent  the  formal  ceremony  of 
again  taking  the  oath  of  office  as  President,  before  the  Chief 
Justice  of  the  United  States. 

The  first  official  act  of  President  Arthur  was  to  issue  a  proc- 
lamation setting  forth  the  26th  of  September  as  a  day  of 
humiliation  and  prayer  on  account  of  the  death  of  the  late 
President. 

President  Arthur  gave  the  country  a  most  excellent  admin- 
istration, and  performed  the  executive  duties  with  great  ability, 
dignity  and  credit,  winning  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all. 
He  succeeded  admirably  in  healing  dissensions  in  his  own  party, 
and  conciliating  those  opposed  to  him  politically,  and  retired  at 
the  expiration  of  his  term  loaded  with  honors  and  cherished  in 
the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  as  one  of  the  most  upright  men 
who  has  filled  the  high  position  of  the  Chief  Executive  of  the 
nation. 


GROVER     CLEVELAND. 


The  election  of  Grover  Cleveland  as  the  twenty-second  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  marks  an  era  of  unusual  interest 
in  the  history  of  our  country  and  of  peculiar  significance  in  the 
political  succession  of  parties,  which  bears  within  its  system  the 
fundamental  principles  of  human  liberty. 

The  wonderful  survival  through  twenty-four  years  of  defeat, 
and  the  final  triumph  of  the  party  which  has  elevated  Grover 
Cleveland  to  the  chief  executive  office  of  the  nation,  is  a  grati- 
fying evidence  of  the  firm  convictions  and  tenacity  of  purpose 
which  actuate  the  American  citizen  in  the  performance  of  his 
duty  to  that  which  he  believes  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of  his 
country,  and  there  can  be  no  better  safeguard  to  the  perma- 
nency of  our  institutions  than  a  condition  of  almost  evenly  bal- 
anced strength  between  our  political  parties. 

Grover  Cleveland,  the  subject  of  our  biography,  was  born  in  a 
Presbyterian  parsonage  in  the  little  village  of  Caldwell,  New 
Jersey,  about  sixteen  miles  west  of  New  York  City,  and  within 
a  few  miles  of  Newark,  in  the  year  1837.  Regarding  his  ancestry 
there  are  some  interesting  facts.  In  1635  Moses  Cleveland  emi- 
grated to  the  wilderness  of  the  new  world  from  Suffolk  County, 
England.  The  first  authentic  account  we  have  of  his  residence 
in  this  country  was  at  "Woburn,  Mass.,  where  he  married  Miss 
Ann  Winn,  in  1648.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  them.  Of 
these  children  Aaron  Cleveland,  the  second  son,  alone 
rose  to  distinction,  having  in  his  occupation  of  farmer 
and  carpenter  acquired  wealth  and  prominent  position 
in  his  native  town.  In  1675  he  married  Miss  Dorcas 
Wilson,  by  whom  he  was  blessed  with  a  happy  do- 
mestic life  and  ten  children.  The  oldest  of  these  was  Aaron 
Cleveland,  Jr.,  who  in  turn  raised  up  another  Aaron,  who  also 


418  IIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

married  in  Woburn,  his  wife  being  a  Miss  Abigail  "Waters,  and 
they,  like  the  Cleveland  ancestry,  gave  evidence  of  their  par- 
tiality for  a  large  family  by  also  raising  ten  children,  among 
whom  was  another  Aaron,  who  after  graduating  from  Harvard 
College  in  1735,  became  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  faith, 
and  after  having  fought  the  good  fight  for  many  years  in  dif- 
ferent pastorates  he  died  at  the  residence  of  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin in  Philadelphia  while  on  his  journey  to  take  charge  of  a 
pastorate  at  Newcastle,  Pa.  This  reverend  member  of  the 
Cleveland  family,  who  married  Miss  Susannah  Porter,  like  his 
father  and  grandfather,  also  had  ten  children,  one  of  whom  he 
regarded  it  as  his  duty  to  his  ancestry  as  well  as  his  posterity 
to  also  name  Aaron.  Settling  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  he  became 
conspicuous  as  a  politician,  and  as  one  of  the  old,  original 
abolitionists,  to  which  principles  he  firmly  adhered  until  Ms 
death  at  New  Haven  in  1815.  The  records  do  not  state  the 
number  of  his  children,  but  his  oldest  son,  Charles  Cleveland, 
who  was  a  minister  in  Boston,  sustained  the  reputation  of  the 
family  by  thirteen  children. 

The  second  son  of  Aaron  Cleveland  was  named  William,  and 
his  second  son  was  Richard  Falley  Cleveland,  the  father  of 
Grover.  While  residing  in  Baltimore  as  a  school-teacher, 
Richard  met  and  courted  Miss  Anne  Neal,  and  returning  to  that 
city  after  he  had  attended  Princeton  Theological  Seminary ,  and 
been  ordained  as  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  they  were  married, 
from  which  union  there  were  nine  children,  who  were  born  in 
the  following  order:  Anna,  who  became  Mrs.  Dr.  Hastings; 
William  N. ;  Mary,  now  Mrs.  W.  E.  Hoyt;  Richard  Cecil;  Grover, 
who  was  baptized  Stephen  Grover;  Margaret,  who  became  Mrs. 
N.  B.  Bacon;  Lewis  Frederick;  Susan  (Mrs.  Yeomans),  and  Rose 
E.,  who  is  now  mistress  of  the  White  House. 

The  Presbyterian  parsonage  in  which  Grover  Cleveland  was 
born,  is  a  substantial-looking  old-fashioned  frame  house,  with 
high  gables  and  vines  clambering  over  the  little  portico.  It  is 
a  much  more  substantial  and  well  designed  structure  and  com- 
fortable home  than  those  in  which  several  other  Presidents 
were  born.  Jackson  and  Andrew  Johnson  first  looked  upon  the 
walls  of  log  cabins  in  North  Carolina  ;  Lincoln  was  born  in 


GROVER  CLEVELAND.  419 

another  log  cabin  in  the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  where  the  blood- 
curdling whoop  of  the  Indian  had  scarcely  ceased  to  startle  the 
lonely  settlements,  and  the  house  of  General  Grant's  nativity  is 
one  of  the  most  humble  in  the  dilapidated  old  town  of  Point 
Pleasant,  on  the  Ohio  River. 
The  grounds  surrounding  the  parsonage  consist  of  some  two 


BIRTHPLACE  OF  GROVER  CLEVELAND,  AT  CALDWELL,  NEW  JERSEY. 

acres,  interspersed  with  forest  trees,  which  give  the  place  a 
very  sheltered  appearance,  as  though  they  had  stood  guard 
over  the  future  President  with  their  shade  and  protection  from 
heat  and  rude  blasts.  The  room  in  which  Grover  first  saw  the 
light  of  day  is  an  ordinary  apartment,  fifteen  feet  square,  with 
two  windows  and  a  low  ceiling,  and  the  stairway  in  the  hall 
where  he  tumbled  down  half  the  flight  when  a  baby,  is  of  the 
old-fashioned  country  style,  that  has  tripped  many  a  person, 
young  and  old,  many  a  time.  The  old-time  frame  church  in 


420  LIVES  OP  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

which  his  father  preached  at  Caldwell  has  given  way  to  a 
handsome  brown  stone  edifice  of  modern  architecture. 

When  four  years  of  this  world's  experience  had  passed  over 
the  head  of  little  Grover,  his  father  accepted  a  call  to  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Fayetteville,  a  little  vil- 
lage near  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  To  accomplish  the  journey  at  that 
day  it  was  necessary  to  take  a  Hudson  River  boat  to  Albany, 
and  thence  by  canal  boat  to  Fayetteville,  making  a  marked 
contrast  between  Grover's  first  and  more  recent  trips  to  and 
from  the  capital  of  New  York  State. 

At  that  time  the  village  of  Fayetteville,  like  Grover,  was 
small,  but  both  grew,  and  in  a  few  years  the  little  boy  began  to 
importune  his  father  for  his  consent  to  attend  school.  The  par- 
sonage was  so  near  the  village  academy  that  little  Grover  could 
watch  the  school  children  from  the  window,  and  his  budding 
mind  yearned  for  something  more  than  the  simple  toys  and 
childish  sports  that  beguiled  his  young  life  within  his  home. 
It  was  with  great  pride  and  joyous  anticipation  that  he  accom- 
panied his  father  across  the  street  to  the  academy  one  morning 
and  began  his  first  day's  experience  at  having  his  young  ideas 
taught  how  to  shoot. 

It  is  related  of  him  that  'he  was  rather  a  sedate  and  quiet 
little  fellow  at  times,  and  at  others  he  developed  a  spirit  for 
fun  ;  one  of  his  bits  of  mischief  being  the  ringing  of  the  school 
bell  whenever  he  got  a  sly  chance,  and  the  anecdote  is  related 
of  his  rigging  a  long  rope  to  the  bell-clapper,  and  by  stretching 
it  over  a  number  of  trees  and  pulling  it  vigorously  he  aroused 
the  whole  village  one  night  and  kept  them  wondering  for  hours 
what  supernatural  agency  was  keeping  up  such  a  noise.  Soon 
after,  however,  he  joined  the  church,  and  it  is  supposed  that 
that  step  put  an  end  to  the  supernatural  agencies. 

In  1849  his  school  days  at  the  academy  ended,  and  he  entered 
a  store  as  a  clerk,  in  which  everything  was  sold  from  drugs  to 
groceries,  and  from  hardware  to  calicoes  and  silks.  This  was 
a  new  experience  to  him,  but  the  business  ideas  he  acquired 
were  valuable  in  forming  his  general  character,  and  developing 
the  resources  of  his  mind.  In  this  occupation  he  gave  evidence 
of  the  same  studious  habits  which  characterized  Abraham  Lin- 


GEOVER  CLEVELAND.  431 

coin  under  similar  circumstances,  and  the  midnight  hour  fre- 
quently found  young  Cleveland  at  his  studies,  among  which 
were  Latin  and  Greek.  During  his  clerkship,  which  was  nat- 
urally a  public  position  in  a  small  village,  Grover  became  a 
great  favorite  with  the  villagers,  and  was  regarded  as  a  good, 
honest,  honorable  and  polite  boy. 

But  the  nine  years  of  his  residence  in  Fayetteville  were  rapidly 
drawing  to  a  close,  and  at  last  the  failing  health  of  his  father 
necessitated  a  change.  He  accepted  a  call  from  the  Home 
Missionary  Society  to  go  to  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  at  which  place 
Hamilton  College  was  located.  He  removed  to  Clinton  in  1851, 
in  which  year  Grover  entered  the  preparatory  school  to  fit  him- 
self for  college.  Before  entering  college,  however,  his  father 
advised  him  to  rest  his  mind  from  the  strain  upon  it  at  an  age 
when  he  needed  more  physical  strength  and  activity.  In  com- 
pliance therewith  Grover  returned  to  the  store  in  Fayetteville, 
at  a  salary  of  $50  for  the  first  year. 

Soon  after  this,  his  father,  still  in  search  of  a  better  field  for 
his  health,  accepted  a  call  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Holland 
Patent,  about  twelve  miles  from  Utica,  to  which  place  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  in  1853.  Here  at  first  everything 
seemed  propitious,  but  only  a  few  weeks  had  passed  ere  the 
faithful  minister  was  called  from  his  earthly  labors  and  Grover 
was  hastily  summoned  to  the  funeral  while  on  his  way  to 
attend  his  sister's  wedding. 

This  sad  event  was  a  serious  blow  to  the  family  and  to  the 
prospects  of  young  Grover,  as  he  contemplated  his  widowed 
mother  with  a  housefull  of  children  to  be  supported  and  edu- 
cated. To  assist  in  the  battle  of  life,  Grover  and  his  oldest 
brother  William  secured  positions  in  the  Institution  for  the 
Blind  in  New  York,  where  Grover  remained  for  a  year,  at 
which  time  he  decided  that  better  prospects  could  be  developed 
in  the  West.  To  pay  his  fare  to  some  other  locality  he  sought 
and  obtained  a  loan  of  $25  from  an  old  friend  of  the  family, 
Hon.  Ingham  Townsend. 

The  first  places  in  which  young  Cleveland  sought  employ- 
ment were  Utica  and  Syracuse,  but  failure  attending  his 
efforts,  he  decided  to  try  his  namesake  city,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


422  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

At  Buffalo,  however,  he  stopped  to  visit  his  uncle,  a  well- 
known  citizen,  named  Lewis  F.  Allen.  To  this  gentleman 
Grover  unfolded  his  plans.  It  had  been  his  intention  to  be- 
come a  lawyer,  but  he  explained  to  his  uncle  how  the  changed 
fortunes  of  the  family  had  destroyed  his  hopes  of  the  law. 
Fortunately,  Mr.  Allen  was  at  that  time  engaged  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  book  entitled  "The  American  Short- Horn  Herd 
Book,"  and  he  realized  that  Grover  was  just  the  one  he  needed 
to  assist  him  on  the  work  ;  so  occupation  was  supplied  to  the 
young  man  at  once  and  life  appeared  brighter. 

When  the  book  was  completed  Mr.  Allen  arranged  for  his 
worthy  and  intelligent  nephew  to  enter  the  law  office  of  Bowen 
&  Rogers  as  office  boy,  with  the  opportunity  of  devoting  his 
leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  law.  An  amusing  incident  befell 
him  on  the  first  day  of  his  entrance  into  the  law  office.  Having 
been  given  a  copy  of  Blackstone  to  read,  lie  became  so  absorbed 
in  it  that  the  clerks  locked  him  up  in  the  office  at  night  with- 
out his  being  aware  of  their  departure.  Gathering  darkness 
aroused  him  to  the  situation,  and  hunting  up  an  old  lamp,  he 
lighted  it  and  continued  reading  all  night . 

For  two  years  young  Cleveland  worked  diligently  for  the  law 
firm  at  four  dollars  weekly  remuneration,  walking  several 
miles  each  day  to  and  from  his  uncle's  home,  at  which  alone 
his  slender  income  could  secure  him  the  necessities  of  life. 
During  the  following  two  years  his  wages  were  increased,  and 
to  be  nearer  the  law  office,  he  took  a  small  attic  room  in  a 
farmers'  and  drovers'  hotel,  where  he  breakfasted  every  morn- 
ing by  candle-light. 

Four  years  passed  and  young  Cleveland  was  promoted  to  the 
head  clerkship,  with  a  salary  of  $1,000  a  year.  During  these 
four  years  he  had  secured  a  reputation  for  indomitable  indus- 
trj,  unpretentious  courage  and  unswerving  honesty.  His 
character  was  marked  as  that  of  a  man  who  thoroughly  mas- 
tered whatever  he  undertook.  But  it  was  perhaps  his  quality 
of  intellectual  integrity  more  than  anything  else  that  afterward 
caused  him  to  be  listened  to  and  respected  when  more  brilliant 
men  who  were  opposed  to  him  were  applauded  and  forgotten. 

Thus  he  diligently  applied  himself  to  his  duties,  while  slowly, 


&ROVER  CLEVELAND.  423 

but  unconsciously  to  himself,  he  was  rising  in  public  attention- 
Thus  the  even  tenor  of  his  life  progressed  until  in  the  year  1863 
an  Assistant  District  Attorney  was  wanted  for  Erie  County. 
This  office  was  naturally  sought  for  with  eagerness  by  the  ris- 
ing young  lawyers  of  Buffalo.  It  is  recorded,  however,  that 
young  Cleveland  had  not  sought  the  position  until  urged  by  his 
friends  to  make  application  therefor.  His  traits  of  character 
were  even  at  that  time  so  conspicuous  that  the  office  appeared 
only  to  be  waiting  for  him  to  seek  it,  and  the  result  was  his 
appointment  over  many  disappointed  aspirants. 

For  three  years  the  labors  of  the  office  fell  mostly  upon  his 
shoulders,  but  his  vital  energies  proved  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency, and  no  higher  words  of  praise  can  be  spoken  in  behalf 
of  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  public  than  to  relate  an 
incident  which  transpired  during  his  occupation  of  the  office. 
In  1865  his  friends  nominated  him  for  the  office  of  District  At- 
torney, and  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  if  Mr.  Cleveland 
had  neglected  his  official  duties  to  have  entered  the  electioneer- 
ing field,  as  did  his  opponent,  he  would  have  been  elected,  but 
even  on  the  very  day  of  the  election  he  was  attending  to  the 
prosecution  of  a  casein  court,  and  when  the  judge  saw  that  he 
could  not  prevail  on  Cleveland  to  go  out  and  look  after  his  own 
interests  in  the  canvass,  he  adjourned  the  case.  But  strict  at- 
tention to  the  "  public  trust"  resulted  in  his  defeat  by  the  Re- 
publican candidate,  who  had  no  "  public  trust "  to  prevent  his 
electioneering. 

Mr.  Cleveland  then  being  out  of  office,  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  J.  K.  Vanderpool,  in  which  he  remained  for  three 
years.  In  1869  he  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  P.  Lansing 
and  Oscar  Folsom.  The  friendship  existing  between  the  three 
was  very  close  and  remained  unbroken  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Folsom,  at  which  time,  at  a  meeting  of  the  bar  of  Erie  County, 
as  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  departed  legal  brother,  Mr. 
Cleveland  made  the  most  beautiful  and  touching  memorial 
speech  of  the  occasion,  of  which  the  following  are  some  of  the 
most  impressive  sentiments: 

"It  has  been  said,  'Light  sorrows  speak — great  grief  is  dumb,'  and  the 
application  of  this  would  enforce  my  silence  on  this  occasion.  But  I  cannot 


434  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 


go  so  far,  nor  let  the  hours  pass  without  adding  a  tribute  of  respect  and  love 
to  my  departed  friend.  He  was  my  friend  in  the  most  sacred  and  complete 
sense  of  the  term.  I  have  walked  with  him,  talked  with  him,  ate  with  him, 
slept  with  him— was  he  not  my  friend  ? 

"I  must  not,  dare  not  recall  the  memories  of  our  long  and  loving  friend- 
ship. And  let  not  my  brethren  think  it  amiss  if  I  force  back  the  thoughts 
that  come  crowding  to  my  mind.  I  shall  speak  coldly  of  my  friend,  but  the 
most  sacred  tribute  of  a  sad  heart  is  unspoken. 

"  When  I  was  abruptly  told  of  his  death,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe 
my  emotions.  Death  seemed  so  foreign  to  this  man,  and  the  exuberance  of 
his  life  was  so  marked  and  prominent,  that  the  idea  of  his  dying  or  his  death 
seemed  to  me  fncongruous  and  out  of  place.  And  before  I  saw  him  dead  I 
found  myself  reflecting  how  strange  he  would  look,  dying  or  dead.  I  had 
seen  him  in  every  other  part  in  the  drama  of  life  but  this,  and  for  this  he 
seemed  unfitted. 

"  His  remarkable  social  qualities  won  for  him  the  admiration  of  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact,  while  his  great  heart  caused  all  to  love  him  who 
knew  him  well.  He  was  remarkably  true  in  his  friendship,  and,  having 
really  made  a  friend,  he  grappled  him  with  hooks  of  steel.  Open  and  frank 
himself,  he  opposed  deceit  and  indirection.  His  remarkable  humor  never 
had  intentional  sting;  and  though  impulsive  and  quick,  he  was  always  just. 
In  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  in  the  solution  of  legal  questions  he 
saw  which  was  right  and  just,  and  then  expected  to  find  the  law  leading  him 
directly  there. 

"  It  is  not  strange  to  find  joined  to  a  jovial  disposition  a  kind  and  generous 
heart ;  but  he  had,  besides  these,  a  broad  and  correct  judgment  and  a  won- 
derful knowledge  of  men  and  affairs  ;  and  the  instances  are  numerous  in  my 
experience  when  his  strong  common  sense  has  aided  me  through  diffi- 
culties. Such  was  my  friend. 

"  Among  his  many  bright  anticipations  of  life  he  had  planned  a  home  in 
an  adjoining  town.  But  God  has  intervened.  The  hands  of  loving  friends 
bore  him  to  a  home,  but  not  the  oae  he  had  himself  provided.  He  found 
peace  in  the  home  provided  for  the  sons  of  men,  and  quiet,  ah,  such  quiet  I 
in  the  grave.  J  know  how  fleeting  and  how  soon  forgotten  are  the  lessons 
taught  by  such  calamities.  '  The  gay  will  laugh,  the  solemn  brow  of  care 
plod  on,  and  each  one  as  before  pursue  his  favorite  phantom.'  But  it  seems 
to  me  long,  long  years  will  intervene  before  pleasant  memories  of  his  life 
will  be  unmingled  with  the  sad  admonitions  furnished  by  the  death  of  Oscar 
Folsom." 

The  entire  speech  was  a  noble  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a 
departed  friend,  and  attracted  considerable  attention  toward 
Mr.  Cleveland  as  a  speaker  and  man  of  rising  abilities. 

In  1870,  at  the  solicitation  of  his  friends,  Mr.  Cleveland 
became  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  Erie  County,  to 
which  office  he  was  elected  and  was  sworn  in  on  the  1st  of 


GROVER  CUEVELAND.  425 

January,  1871.  For  this  important  office  his  firmness,  courage 
and  strict  integrity  eminently  fitted  him,  and  he  filled  the  office 
with  credit  to  himself  and  honor  to  the  county.  He  did  not 
seek  a  re-election,  and  at  the  close  of  the  term  he  again  resumed 
the  practice  of  law  and  entered  into  a  partnership  with  Lyman 
K.  Bass  and  Wilson  S.  Bissell.  The  triple  partnership,  how- 
ever, lasted  but  a  short  time,  as  the  health  of  Mr.  Bass  com- 
pelled him  to  retire  from  the  firm  and  go  West,  after  which 
the  firm  became  Cleveland  &  Bissell.  From  this  date  began 
Mr.  Cleveland's  reputation  as  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in 
western  New  York.  He  was  not  one  of  the  flashy,  meteoric 
style  of  lawyers,  who  possess  that  marvelous  power  of  saying 
nothing  in  language  wherein  they  would  convey  the  impres- 
sion that  they  had  said  a  great  deal,  but  as  a  man  of  clear 
views,  simple  logic,  direct  application  and  thorough  mastery 
of  all  the  intricate  points  woven  around  each  case,  he  possessed 
the  respect,  confidence  and  admiration  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  people  of  Buffalo  were  aroused 
to  a  realization  of  the  corrupt  condition  of  the  municipal  gov- 
ernment in  their  city,  the  defiant  acts  of  ring  rule  and  the  dis- 
honesty that  was  robbing  the  public  treasury.  They  realized 
that  reform  was  needed  and  that  to  effect  that  reformation  a 
strong  guiding  hand  was  required  to  hold  the  reins.  Public 
attention  became  directed  toward  Grover  Cleveland  as  the  one 
man  of  firmness  and  integrity  for  the  position.  His  name  thus 
becoming  prominent,  the  Democratic  party  took  it  up  as  the 
keynote  for  victory,  and  Mr.  Cleveland  being  actually  over- 
whelmed by  solicitation,  accepted  the  nomination  in  the  follow- 
ing neat  and  appropriate  speech: 

"  GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  CONVENTION  :  I  am  informed  that  you  have  bestowed 
upon  me  the  nomination  for  the  office  of  Mayor.  It  is  certainly  a  great 
honor  to  be  thought  fit  to  be  the  chief  officer  of  a  great  and  prosperous  city 
like  ours,  having  such  important  and  varied  interests.  I  hoped  that  your 
choice  might  fall  upon  some  other  and  more  worthy  memher  of  the  city 
Democracy,  for  personal  and  private  considerations  have  made  the  question 
of  acceptance  on  my  part  a  difficult  one.  But  because  I  am  a  Democrat, 
and  because  I  think  no  one  has  a  right  at  this  time,  of  all  others,  to  consult 
his  own  inclinations,  as  against  the  call  of  his  party  and  fellow  citizens,  and 


426  LIVES  OF  OTJR  PRESIDENTS. 


hoping  that  I  may  be  of  use  to  you  in  your  efforts  to  inaugurate  a  better 
rule  in  municipal  affairs,  I  accept  the  nomination  tendered  to  me. 

"  I  am  assured  that  the  result  of  the  campaign  upon  which  we  enter 
to-day  will  demonstrate  that  the  citizens  of  Buffalo  will  not  tolerate  the  man 
or  the  party  who  has  been  unfaithful  to  public  trusts.  I  say  these  things  to 
a  convention  of  Democrats,  because  I  know  that  the  grand  old  party  is  hon- 
est, and  they  cannot  be  unwelcome  to  you.  Let  us  then  in  all  sincerity 
promise  the  people  an  improvement  in  our  municipal  affairs,  and  if  the 
opportunity  is  offered  to  us,  as  it  surely  will  be,  let  us  faithfully  keep  that 
promise.  By  this  means,  and  by  this  means  alone,  can  our  success  rest 
upon  a  firm  foundation  and  our  party  ascendancy  be  permanently  assured. 
Our  opponents  will  wage  a  bitter  and  determined  warfare,  but  with  united 
and  hearty  effort  we  shall  achieve  a  victory  for  our  entire  ticket.  And  at 
this  day,  and  with  my  record  before  you,  I  trust  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
pledge  to  you  my  most  earnest  endeavors  to  bring  about  this  result;  and  if 
elected  to  the  position  for  which  you  have  nominated  me,  I  shal  1  do  my  whole 
duty  to  the  party,  but  none  the  less,  I  hope,  for  the  citizens  of  Buffalo." 

The  result  of  the  campaign  was  a  victory  beyond  the  most 
sanguine  expectations  of  his  party,  and  he  was  elected  by  the 
largest  majority  ever  given  to  a  candidate  for  Mayor  of  that 
city.  At  his  inauguration  Mayor  Cleveland  rang  out  the  death- 
knell  of  ring  power  and  roguery  in  the  .following  inspiring 
words : 

"  We  hold  the  money  of  the  people  in  our  hands,  to  be  used  for  their  pur- 
poses and  to  further  their  interests  as  members  of  the  municipality,  and  it  is 
quite  apparent  that  when  any  part  of  the  funds  which  taxpayers  have  thus 
intrusted  to  us  are  diverted  to  other  purposes,  or  when  by  design  or  neglect 
we  allow  a  greater  sum  to  be  applied  to  any  municipal  purpose  than  is 
necessary,  we  have  to  that  extent  violated  our  duty.  There  is  surely  no  dif- 
ference in  his  duties  and  obligations  whether  a  person  is  intrusted  with  the 
money  of  one  man  or  many.  And  yet  it  sometimes  appears  as  though  the 
office-holder  assumes  that  a  different  rule  of  fidelity  prevails  between  him 
and  the  taxpayers  than  that  which  should  regulate  his  conduct  when,  as  an 
individual,  he  holds  the  money  of  his  neighbor. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  a  successful  and  faithful  administration  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  our  city  may  be  accomplished  by  constantly  bearing  in  mind 
that  we  are  the  trustees  and  agents  of  our  fellow  citizens,  holding  then- 
funds  in  sacred  trust,  to  be  expended  for  their  benefit;  that  we  should  at  all 
times  be  prepared  to  render  an  honest  account  of  them  touching  the  man- 
ner of  their  expenditure;  and  that  the  affairs  of  the  city  should  be  con- 
ducted, as  far  as  possible,  upon  the  same  principles  as  a  good  business  man 
manages  his  private  concerns." 

Scarcely  had  Mayor  Cleveland  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his 


QROVER  CLEVELAND.  427 

office  before  he  set  about  to  save  the  city  $109,000  on  a  street 
sweeping  contract,  and  $803,630,  of  which  the  city  was  to  be 
relieved  on  a  sewer  contract ;  thereby  saving  the  city  $1,000, 000 
during  his  first  six  months  in  office.  On  another  occasion  the 
City  Council  had  adopted  a  resolution  directing  the  City  Clerk 
to  draw  a  warrant  for  $500  in  favor  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Firemen's  Benevolent  Association.  This  Mayor  Cleveland 
vetoed  because  the  action  was  clearly  unauthorized  by  the  State 
Constitution.  At  the  same  meeting  the  City  Council  also 
passed  a  resolution  directing  the  City  Clerk  to  draw  a  warrant 
on  the  Fourth  of  July  Fund  for  $500  in  favor  of  the  Decoration 
Day  Committee  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  for  the 
purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  of  observing  Decoration  Day. 
This  resolution  Mayor  Cleveland  also  vetoed  on  the  ground  of 
its  unconstitutionally,  while  at  the  same  time  he  extolled  the 
occasion  as  a  most  worthy  one  for  such  an  appropriation,  pro- 
vided any  provision  of  the  Constitution  would  have  permitted 
his  approval  of  the  action.  As  it  did  not,  however,  he  appealed 
to  the  generosity  of  the  citizens  in  raising  the  amount  by  a  sub- 
scription, and  headed  a  list  for  the  same  with  a  handsome  dona- 
tion, and  the  remainder  was  quickly  raised,  while  the  Mayor's 
performance  of  his  ^public  trust"  was  highly  approved. 

Soon  after  this  a  committee  from  the  Society  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Cruelty  to  Children  waited  upon  Mayor  Cleveland 
in  behalf  of  the  street  waifs  of  the  city,  and  he  called  the  at- 
tention of  the  Council  to  the  condition  of  the  little  girls  and 
boys  engaged  in  selling  papers  and  blacking  boots  on  the  streets, 
and  requested  some  action  to  prevent  the  children  from  remain- 
ing out  at  late  hours  of  the  night,  in  danger  of  falling  underin- 
fluences  leading  to  profligacy,  vagrancy  and  crime. 

It  was  such  conscientious  performance  of  his  official  duties  as 
here  related,  and  many  other  similar  reformatory  acts,  that  en- 
deared Mayor  Cleveland  to  the  citizens  of  Buffalo,  and  turned 
the  eyes  of  the  State  upon  him  in  admiration  of  the  man.  And 
his  rapid  and  fortunate  career  is  all  the  more  remarkable  that 
he  had  not  sought  prominence,  and  appeared  at  all  times  to  be 
impressed  with  the  idea  that  it  was  a  duty  he  owed  to  the 
public  to  become  their  servant  for  the  performance  of  "public 


428  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

trusts,"  and  he  was  at  all  times  actuated  by  the  most  upright 
motives  in  rendering  his  duty,  like  that  good  steward  in  the 
Bible  to  whom  it  was  said  :  "  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faith- 
ful servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will 
make  thee  ruler  over  many." 

In  all  his  official  life  Mr.  Cleveland  has  given  evidence  of  the 
practice  of  the  loftiest  statesmanship,  measured  by  the  stand- 
ard, not  of  political  trickery,  but  of  honesty,  fidelity,  industry 
and  patriotism.  In  addition  to  these  qualities,  as  Mayor  of 
Buffalo  he  coupled  simplicity  of  manners  in  all  his  intercourse 
with  the  people  and  won  the  public  heart  as  a  man  easily  ap- 
proached and  not  hedging  himself  about  with  his  personal 
importance.  As  he  was  in  public  life  so  he  was  in  social 
habits,  quiet  and  unostentatious,  seeking  at  all  times  to  give  a 
pleasant  word  or  do  a  kind  deed.  In  religious  sentiments  he 
always  clung  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  which  he  joined 
when  a  boy,  but  he  possesses  a  most  liberal  spirit  toward  all, 
and  believes  that  Christian  duty  consists  in  acting  our  religion. 

So  conspicuous  had  Mayor  Cleveland  become  by  the  great 
reformation  he  had  wrought  in  the  municipal  government  of 
Buffalo  that  his  nomination  lor  Governor  of  the  State  was  urged 
by  his  fellow  citizens  for  the  consideration  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  as  the  idea  grew  in  the  minds  of  the  citizens  of  Buf- 
falo, they  began  to  form  Cleveland  clubs  which  gradually 
spread  until  "  Cleveland  and  Reform"  became  a  rallying  cry 
that  spread  throughout  the  State.  Among  the  prominent 
papers  which  earnestly  advanced  his  claim  upon  the  people,  the 
New  York  Sun  spoke  of  him  in  highest  praise.  The  following 
is  an  extract  from  that  periodical : 

"  Grover  Cleveland,  now  Mayor  of  Buffalo,  and  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  Governor  of  New  York,  is  a  man  worthy  of  the  highest  public  confi- 
dence. No  one  can  study  the  record  of  his  career  since  he  has  held  office  in 
Buffalo  without  being  convinced  that  he  possesses  those  highest  qualities  of 
a  public  man,  sound  principles  of  administrative  duty,  luminous  intelligence, 
and  courage  to  do  what  is  right,  no  matter  who  may  be  pleased  or  dis- 
pleased thereby.  ***** 

"  No  matter  what  political  faith  a  man  may  have  been  educated  in,  no 
matter  by  what  party  name  he  may  now  prefer  to  be  called,  no  one  can 
consider  such  principles  and  sentiments  as  those  declared  by  Mr.  Cleveland 


GROVER  CLEVELAND.  429 


without  feeling  that  such  a  public  officer  is  worthy  of  the  confidence  and 
support  of  the  whole  people,  and  that  the  interests  of  the  Empire  State  wLU 
be  entirely  safe  in  his  hands." 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1882,  the  Democratic  State  Con- 
vention met  at  Syracuse,  and  on  the  third  ballot  Grover  Cleve- 
land received  the  nomination,  amid  great  applause  and  mutual 
congratulation  of  the  delegates.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
memorable  gubernatorial  campaigns  ever  fought  in  the  State, 
and  resulted  in  Mr.  Cleveland's  election  by  a  majority  of 
192,000,  the  largest  ever  given  to  any  candidate  for  Governor  in 
the  United  States. 

The  triumph  of  the  reform  party  created  the  most  unbounded 
enthusiasm  throughout  the  State,  at  the  same  time  that  it 
created  a  sensation  throughout  the  entire  country.  Early  in 
December  following  the  election  the  Manhattan  Club  of  New 
York  City  grave  a  grand  reception  to  Governor-elect  Cleveland, 
and  upon  the  occasion  there  was  the  greatest  assemblage  of  dis- 
tinguished citizens  that  have  probably  met  in  the  parlors  of  the 
club  at  any  period  in  its  existence,  and  for  an  hour  or  more  Mr. 
Cleveland  stood  shaking  hands  with  those  who  were  presented 
to  him,  and  receiving  the  most  heartfelt  congratulations.  In 
response  to  the  toast  proposed  to  his  health  Governor-elect 
Cleveland  said : 

"  We  stand  to-night  in  the  full  glare  of  a  grand  and  brilliant  manifestation 
of  the  popular  will,  and  in  the  light  of  it  how  vain  and  small  appear  the 
tricks  of  politicians  and  the  movements  of  partisan  machinery.  He  must 
be  blind  who  cannot  see  that  the  people  well  understand  their  power  and  are 
determined  to  use  it  when  their  rights  and  interests  are  threatened.  There 
should  be  no  skepticism  to-night  as  to  the  strength  and  perpetuity  of  our 
government.  Partisan  leaders  have  learned,  too,  that  the  people  will  not 
unwittingly,  and  blindly,  follow,  and  that  something  more  than  wavering 
devotion  to  party  is  necessary  to  secure  their  allegiance.  I  am  quite  cer- 
tain that  the  late  demonstration  did  not  spring  from  any  pre-existing  love 
for  the  party  that  was  called  to  power,  nor  did  the  people  put  the  affairs  of 
the  State  in  our  hands  to  be  by  them  forgotten.  They  voted  for  themselves 
and  in  their  own  interest.  If  we  retain  their  confidence  we  must  deserve  it, 
and  we  may  be  sure  they  will  call  on  us  to  give  an  account  of  our  steward- 
ship. We  shall  utterly  fail  to  read  aright  the  signs  of  the  times  if  we  are  not 
fully  convinced  that  parties  are  but  instruments  through  which  the  people 
work  out  their  will,  and  that  when  they  become  less  or  more,  the  people 
desert  or  destroy  them.  The  vanquished  have  lately  learned  these 


430  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

things,  and  the  victors  will  act  wisely  if  they  profit  by  the  lesson.  I 
have  read  and  heard  much  of  late  touching  the  great  responsibilities  cast 
upon  me,  and  it  i-s  certainly  predicated  upon  the  fact  that  my  majority  was 
so  large  fts  to  indicate  that  many  not  members  of  the  party  to  which  I  am 
proud  to  belong  supported  me.  God  knows  how  fully  I  appreciate  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  high  office  to  which  I  have  been  called,  and  how  much  I 
sometimes  fear  that  I  shall  not  bear  the  burden  well.  It  has  seemed  to  me 
that  a  citizan  who  has  been  chosen  by  his  fellows  to  discharge  public  duties 
owes  no  less  nor  no  more  to  them  whether  he  is  elected  by  a  small  or  a 
large  majority.  In  either  event  he  owes  to  the  people  who  honored  him  his 
best  endeavors  to  carefully  protect  their  rights  and  further  their  interests. 
An  administration  is  only  successful  in  a  partisan  sense  when  it  appears  t) 
be  an  outgrowth  and  result  of  party  principles  and  methods.  These  honored 
doctrir.es  of  the  Democratic  party  are  dear  to  me.  If  honestly  applied  in 
their  purity,  I  know  that  the  affairs  of  the  government  will  be  fittingly  and 
honestly  administered,  and  I  believe  that  all  the  wants  and  needs  of  the 
people  would  be  met.  They  have  survived  all  changes,  and  good ,  patri- 
otic men  have  clung  to  them  through  all  disasters  as  the  hope  of 
political  salvation.  Let  us  hold  them  as  a  sacred  trust,  and  not  forget  that 
the  intelligent,  thinking,  reading  people  will  look  to  a  party  which  they  put 
in  power  to  supply  all  their  various  needs  and  wants,  and  that  the  party 
which  keeps  pace  with  the  developments  and  progress  of  the  times,  which 
keeps  in  sight  its  landmarks,  and  yet  observes  the  things  which  are  in  ad- 
vance, and  which  will  continue  true  to  the  people  as  well  as  to  its  traditions, 
will  be  the  dominant  party  of  the  future.  My  only  aspiration  is  to  faithfully 
perform  the  duties  of  the  office  to  which  the  people  of  my  State  have  called 
me,  and  I  hops  and  trust  a  proud  endeavor  will  light  the  way  to  a  successful 
administration." 

The  inauguration  of  Governor  Cleveland  took  place  on  the 
first  of  January,  1883,  in  a  simple  and  unostentatious  manner, 
after  which  he  quietly  went  to  work  early  and  late,  exercising 
diligence  and  dispensing  with  all  formality,  and  with  the  as- 
sistance of  his  efficient  secretary,  Mr.  Daniel  T.  Lamont,  he 
executed  the  duties  of  his  office  after  a  most  admirable  system. 

His  first  official  policy  was  against  the  existing  excessive 
taxation,  and  his  influence  was  directed  toward  its  reduction. 
His  next  step  was  toward  reformation  in  the  government  of 
New  York  City,  and  in  furtherance  of  this  purpose  he  signed 
the  bill  depriving  the  Aldermen  of  confirming  powers.  A  sav- 
ing of  $200,000  annually  was  effected  for  the  city  by  abolishing 
the  fee  system  in  the  Register's,  County  Clerk's,  Surrogate's 
and  Sheriff's  offices,  and  giving  salaries  to  the  Register  and 
County  Clerk.  Another  important  step  was  his  effort  in  be- 


GROVER  CLEVELAND.  431 

half  of  the  protection  of  our  forests,  to  save  the  water-ways  of 
our  inland  commerce  from  being  eventually  destroyed. 

One  of  the  most  conscientious  acts  of  Governor  Cleveland 
was  his  veto'of  the  "  Five-Cent  Fare  Bill,"  on  the  ground  that  it 
involved  a  breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  State.  The  char- 
ter of  the  elevated  roads  gave  them  a  right  to  charge  ten-cent 
fares  during  certain  hours  of  the  day,  and  no  Legislature  had  a 
just  right  to  deprive  them  of  the  privileges  granted  by  their 
charter.  The  very  fact  that  the  laboring  classes  had  the  bene- 
fit of  five-cent  fares  at  the  very  hours  in  the  day  they  could 
travel  on  the  elevated  roads,  convinced  Governor  Cleveland  that 
the  bill  was  simply  a  legislative  job  for  political  capital,  and 
he  did  his  duty  in  sustaining  the  good  faith  of  the  State. 

The  Tenure  of  Office  Bill,  which  he  also  vetoed,  was  a  badly 
constructed  bill,  deficient  in  nearly  every  point  of  relief  sought, 
and  Governor  Cleveland  showed  statesmanship  in  withholding 
his  approval.  To  his  credit  and  praise,  however,  it  can  be  said 
that  he  never  withheld  his  approval  from  any  good  and  true 
bill  which,  possessing  law  and  justice  in  its  favor,  was  for  the 
good  of  the  public.  Space  does  not  permit  mention  of  the 
numberless  reforms  that  Governor  Cleveland  effected  and  the 
noble  deeds  he  performed  while  occupying  the  executive  chair 
of  the  State. 

We  now  approach  that  era  in  the  life  of  Governor  Cleveland 
when  the  eyes  of  the  nation  began  to  be  turned  toward  him 
as  a  true  exponent  of  the  principles  of  honest  and  economical 
government,  and  as  a  man  whose  official  acts  proved  him  worthy 
of  higher  honors  and  responsibilities.  The  Republican  National 
Convention  had  met  at  Chicago  and  nominated  James  G.  Blaine 
and  John  A..  Logan  as  their  candidates  for  President  and  Vice- 
President,  and  the  names  of  several  prominent  Democratic  lead- 
ers were  being  discussed  as  the  probable  and  suitable  standard- 
bearers  of  the  party,  among  whom  the  friends  and  admirers 
of  Governor  Cleveland  had  placed  his  name  and  were  present- 
ing his  conspicuous  qualities  as  a  light  set  upon  a  hilL  On  the 
8th  of  July,  1884,  the  Democratic  National  Convention  met 
in  Chicago  with  a  large  and  able  delegation,  and  Hon.  Richard 
B.  Hubbard,  of  Texas,  was  elected  temporary  chairman.  The 


432  UVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

usual  skirmishing  engaged  the  attention  of  the  delegates  on  the 
opening  day  and  an  attack  was  made  by  the  enemies  of 
Governor  Cleveland  on  the  unit  rule,  but  the  attempted  amend- 
ment was  lost,  and  in  this  signal  defeat  of  the  enemy  it  was  clearly 
seen  that  the  Cleveland  star  was  brightly  in  the  ascendant. 
The  second  day  was  devoted  to  reports  of  committees,  debates 
and  resolutions  and  to  the  election  of  Colonel  William  F.  Vilas, 
of  Wisconsin,  as  permanent  chairman.  The  names  of  candi- 
dates for  President  were  then  presented  on  the  roll-call  of  States, 
and  when  New  York  was  called,  Mr.  Daniel  S.  Lock  wood,  of 
Buffalo,  presented  the  name  of  Governor  Cleveland  amid  the 
wildest  enthusiasm,  and  in  an  able  speech  in  which  one  of  the 
sentiments  was  as  follows  : 

"A  little  more  than  three  years  ago  I  had  the  honor,  at  the  city  of  Buffalo 
to  present  the  name  of  this  same  gentleman  for  the  office  of  Mayor  of  that, 
city.  It  was  presented  then  for  the  same  reason,  for  the  same  causes  that 
•we  present  it  now  ;  it  was  because  the  government  of  that  city  had  become 
corrupt  and  had  become  debauched,  and  political  integrity  sat  not  in  high 
places.  The  people  looked  for  a  man  who  would  represent  the  contrary,  and 
without  any  hesitation  they  named  Grover  Cleveland." 

The  third  day  was  consumed  in  further  nominations  and 
speeches.  In  the  evening  session,  after  the  platform  was  read 
and  adopted,  a  resolution  for  the  ballot  was  carried,  and  the 
votes  of  the  delegates  were  cast  as  follows :  Cleveland,  392 ; 
Bayard,  170  ;  Thurman,  88  ;  Randall,  78  ;  McDonald,  56  ;  Car- 
lisle, 27  ;  Flower,  4  ;  Tilden,  1 ;  Hoadly,  3  ;  and  Hendricks,  1. 

This  so  decidedly  placed  Cleveland  in  the  ascendancy  that  on 
the  fourth  day  State  after  State  began  to  wheel  into  line,  cast- 
ing their  votes  for  Cleveland,  and  upon  the  announcement 
being  made  that  he  had  received  the  necessary  two-thirds  ma- 
jority, the  wildest  enthusiasm  prevailed  and  artillery  began  to 
thunder  throughout  the  land  in  answer  to  the  lightning's  flash 
along  the  wires.  When  Chairman  Vilas  proclaimed  the  result, 
a  large  floral  anchor  was  placed  upon  the  platform,  bearing  a 
stuffed  eagle  with  pinions  spread  and  holding  in  its  beak  an 
ensign  with  the  name  of  Cleveland  glittering  on  it.  The  total 
vote  for  Cleveland  upon  the  second  ballot  was  683. 

The  nomination  was  then  made  unanimous  on  motion  of 


OROVER  CLEVELAND.  433 

Mr.  Hendricks,  and  the  nomination  for  "Vice-President  being 
next  in  order,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks  was  found  to  be  the 
unanimous  choice  of  the  convention.  Then,  with  waving 
standards,  patriotic  music  by  the  band,  and  song  after  song 
and  general  rejoicing,  the  convention  adjourned. 

During  the  time  that  the  ballots  were  being  cast  that  made 
Governor  Cleveland  the  standard  bearer  of  his  party,  he  was 
busily  employed  at  Albany  attending  to  the  duties  of  his  office, 
and  at  the  sound  of  the  cannon  firing  the  salute,  General 
Farnsworth  exclaimed : 

"  Governor,  they  are  firing  a  salute  over  your  nomination  !" 

"Do  you  think  so?"  replied  Governor  Cleveland.  "Well, 
anyhow,  we'll  finish  up  this  work." 

After  the  work  was  done  the  Governor  took  a  recess  and  re- 
ceived the  congratulations  of  his  friends,  and  a  regular  Demo- 
cratic ovation  was  given,  which  was  added  to  by  the  telegrams 
of  congratulation  that  came  pouring  in  from  every  quarter. 

The  Democratic  press  of  the  country  almost  to  a  unit  were 
enthusiastic  in  their  indorsement  of  the  nomination,  and  Har- 
per's Weekly,  the  New  York  Times,  the  Evening  Post  and  other 
leading  organs  of  the  .Republican  party  gave  their  hearty 
indorsement  and  support  to  Cleveland. 

The  customary  official  notification  to  Governor  Cleveland  of 
his  nomination  was  presented  on  the  29th  of  July,  1884,  at  the 
Governor's  Mansion  in  Albany,  in  the  presence  of  a  consider- 
able number  of  prominent  persons.  After  Governor  Cleveland 
had  taken  his  position  to  receive  the  committee,  Colonel  Vilas, 
late  Chairman  of  the  Democratic  National  Convention,  and 
president  of  the  Notification  Committee,  approached,  and  after 
shaking  hands  with  Governor  Cleveland,  made  an  appropriate 
address,  after  which  the  secratary  of  the  committee  read  the 
letter  of  notification,  signed  by  the  committee,  and  then  pre- 
sented it  to  the  Governor  in  a  wallet.  Governor  Cleveland 
replied  as  follows  : 

"MB.  CHAIRMAN  AND  GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  COMMITTEE:  Your  formal  announce- 
ment does  not,  of  course,  convey  to  me  the  first  information  of  the  result  of 
the  Convention  lately  held  by  the  Democracy  of  the  Nation,  and  yet  when, 
as  I  listen  to  your  message,  I  see  about  me  representatives  from  all  parts  of 


434  IIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

the  land  of  the  great  party  which,  claiming  to  be  the  party  of  the  people, 
asks  them  to  intrust  to  it  the  administration  of  their  government ;  and 
when  I  consider,  under  the  influence  of  the  stern  reality  which  the  present 
surroundings  create,  that  I  have  been  chosen  to  represent  the  plans,  pur- 
poses and  the  policy  of  the  Democratic  party,  I  am  profoundly  impressed 
by  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  and  by  the  great  responsibility  of  the 
position  in  which  I  stand. 

"  Though  I  gratefully  appreciate  it,  I  do  not  at  this  moment  congratulate 
myself  upon  the  distinguished  honor  which  has  been  conferred  upon  me, 
because  my  mind  is  full  of  anxious  desire  to  perform  well  the  part  which  has 
been  assigned  to  me.  Nor  do  I  at  this  moment  forget  that  the  rights  and 
interests  of  more  than  fifty  millions  of  nay  fellow-citizens  ara  involved  in 
our  effort  to  gain  Democratic  supremacy.  This  reflection  presents  to  my 
mind  the  consideration  which  more  than  all  others  gives  to  the  action  of  my 
party  in  convention  assembled  its  most  sober  and  serious  aspect.  The  party 
and  its  representatives  which  ask  to  be  intrusted  at  the  hands  of  the  people 
with  the  keeping  of  all  that  concerns  their  welfare  and  their  safety,  should 
only  ask  it  with  the  full  appreciation  of  the  sacredness  of  the  trust,  and  with 
a  firm  resolve  to  administer  it  faithfully  and  well.  I  am  a  Democrat 
because  I  believe  that  this  truth  lies  at  the  foundation  of  true  democracy.  I 
have  kept  the  faith  because  I  believe,  if  rightly  and  fairly  administered  and 
applied,  Democratic  doctrines  and  measures  will  insure  the  happiness,  con- 
tentment and  prosperity  of  the  people. 

"If,  in  the  contest  upon  which  we  now  enter,  we  steadfastly  hold  to  the 
underlying  principles  of  our  party  creed,  and  at  all  times  keep  in  view  the 
people's  good,  we  shall  be  strong,  because  we  are  true  to  ourselves  and 
because  the  plain  and  independent  voters  of  the  land  will  seek  by  their 
suffrages  to  compass  their  release  from  party  tyranny  where  there  should 
be  submission  to  the  popular  will,  and  their  protection  from  party  corrup- 
tion where  there  should  be  devotion  to  the  people's  interests.  These  thoughts 
lend  a  consecration  to  our  cause,  and  we  go  forth  not  merely  to  gain  a  par- 
tisan advantage,  but  pledged  to  give  to  those  who  trust  us  the  utmost 
benefits  of  a  pure  and  honest  administration  of  national  affairs.  No  higher 
purpose  or  motive  can  stimulate  us  to  supreme  effort  or  urge  us  to  continu- 
ous and  earnest  labor  and  effective  party  organization.  Let  us  not  fail  in 
this  and  we  may  confidently  hope  to  reap  the  full  reward  of  patriotic  ser- 
vices well  performed. 

"I  have  thus  called  to  mind  some  simple  truths,  and  true  though  they  are, 
it  seems  to  me  we  do  well  to  dwell  upon  them  at  this  time.  I  shall  soon, 
I  hope,  signify  in  the  usual  formal  manner  my  acceptance  of  the  nomination 
which  has  been  tendered  to  me.  In  the  meantime  I  gladly  greet  you  all  as 
co-workers  in  a  noble  cause." 

On  August  18,  1884,  Governor  Cleveland  wrote  his  formal  let- 
ter of  acceptance  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  Democratic  Committee. 
Space  will  not  permit  its  publication  here,  but  in  it  Governor 


GROVER   CLEVELAND.  435 

Cleveland  clearly  outlined  his  political  creed  in  full  accordance 
with  Democratic  principles. 

The  campaign  was  now  fairly  opened,  and  proved  to  be  one 
of  the  most  spirited  since  the  log-cabin  days  of  old  "Tippe- 
canoe,"  and  party  lines  were  more  broken  up  than  at  any  time 
since  the  war.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  there  were  four 
candidates  in  the  field,  although  two  of  them  were  of  but  slight 
political  significance  and  only  served  the  purpose  of  drawing 
votes  away  from  the  regular  candidates  to  make  the  race  more 
uncertain.  The  Prohibition  party  nominated  Governor  St.  John 
of  Kansas  as  a  hopeless  candidate  for  principles'  sake  and  a  dis- 
affected fragment  of  the  Democratic  party,  under  the  title  of  the 
"  People's  Party,"  brought  out  another  hopeless  candidate  in 
Benjamin  F.  Butler. 

It  was,  however,  a  quiet  campaign  as  far  as  Governor  Cleve- 
land's active  participation  was  concerned,  for  he  remained  at 
Albany  in  attendance  upon  the  duties  of  his  office.  But  his 
dignified  inaction  was  more  than  over-balanced  by  the  wildest 
enthusiasm  and  activity  of  the  Democratic  party,  aided  by  the 
Independent  Republicans. 

The  eventful  election  day  at  last  arrived,  and  so  close  was  the 
vote  in  several  States,  and  especially  in  New  York,  that  the 
result  was  held  in  suspense  for  over  a  week,  during  which  great 
crowds,  with  the  most  anxious  faces,  thronged  the  streets  in 
front  of  the  bulletin  boards  of  the  different  newspaper  offices. 
But  at  last  the  painful  suspense  was  broken,  and  the  vote  of 
New  York  was  decided  for  the  Democratic  candidate  by  a 
plurality  of  1,257. 

With  New  York  the  election  of  Governor  Cleveland  was 
assured.  He  had  carried  all  the  Southern  States,  together  with 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Connecticut  and  Indiana,  which  gave 
him  219  electoral  votes. 

Then  followed  a  season  of  great  rejoicing  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  the  Independent  Republicans  who  had 
supported  Governor  Cleveland,  but  the  President-elect  con- 
tinued the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  performing  his  official  duties 
at  Albany  until  he  resigned  the  Governorship  to  prepare  for  his 
inauguration, 


436  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1885,  in  the  presence  of  the  greatest 
multitude  who  had  ever  assembled  in  Washington  City  to  wit- 
ness an  inauguration,  Mr.  Cleveland  stood  on.  the  east  front  of 
the  Capitol  and  took  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  with  his  hand  laid  upon  the  little  Bible  which 
his  mother  had  given  him  when  he  left  home  as  a  boy  to  carve 
out  his  own  destiny  in  life.  Before  taking  the  oath  he  deliv- 
ered the  following  inaugural  address  : 

"  FELLOW-CITIZENS  :  In  the  presence  of  this  vast  assemblage  of  my  coun- 
trymen I  am,  about  to  supplement  and  seal,  by  the  oath  which  I  shall  take, 
the  manifestation  of  the  will  of  a  great  and  free  people.  In  the  exercise  of 
their  power  and  right  of  self -government,  they  have  committed  to  ona  of 
their  fellow-citizens  a  supreme  and  sacred  trust,  and  he  here  consecrates 
himself  to  their  service. 

"  This  impressive  ceremony  adds  little  to  the  solemn  sense  of  responsibility 
with  which  I  contemplate  the  duty  I  owe  to  all  the  people  of  the  land. 
Nothing  can  relieve  me  from  anxiety  lest  by  any  act  of  mine  their  interests 
may  suffer  ;  and  nothing  is  needed  to  strengthen  my  resolution  to  engage 
every  faculty  and  effort  in  the  promotion  of  their  welfare. 

"Amid  the  din  of  party  strife  the  people's  choice  was  made ;  but  its  attend- 
ant circumstances  have  demonstrated  anew  the  strength  and  safety  of  a 
government  by  the  people.  In  each  succeeding  year  it  more  clearly  appears 
that  our  democratic  principle  needs  no  apology,  and  that  in  its  fearless  and 
faithful  application  is  to  be  found  the  surest  guarantee  of  good  govern- 
ment. 

"  But  the  best  results  in  the  operation  of  a  government  wherein  every  citi- 
zen has  a  share,  largely  depend  upon  a  proper  limitation  of  purely  partisan 
zeal  and  effort,  and  a  correct  appreciation  of  the  time  when  the  heat  of  the 
partisan  should  be  merged  in  the  patriotism  of  the  citizen. 

"  To-day  the  executive  branch  of  the  Government  is  transferred  to  new 
keeping.  But  this  is  still  the  Government  of  all  the  people,  and  it  should  be 
none  the  less  an  object  of  affectionate  solicitude.  At  this  hour  the  animosi- 
ties of  political  strife,  the  bitterness  of  partisan  defeat,  andthe  exultation  of 
partisan  triumph,  should  be  supplanted  by  an  ungrudging  acquiescence  in 
the  popular  will,  and  a  sober,  conscientious  concern  for  the  general  weal. 
Moreover,  if  from  this  hour  we  cheerfully  and  honestly  abandon  all  sectional 
prejudice  and  distrust,  and  determine,  with  manly  confidence  in  one  an- 
other, to  work  out  harmoniously  the  achievements  of  our  national  destiny, 
we  shall  deserve  to  realize  all  the  benefits  which  our  happy  form  of  Govern- 
ment can  bestow. 

"  On  this  auspicious  occasion  we  may  well  renew  the  pledge  of  our  devotion 
to  the  Constitution,  which,  launched  by  the  founders  of  the  republic,  and 
consecrated  by  their  prayers  and  patriotic  devotion,  has  for  almost  a  cen- 
tury borne  the  hopes  and  the  aspirations  of  a  great  people  through  prosper 


GROVER  CLEVELAND.  437 

ity  and  peace  and  through  the  shock  of  foreign  conflicts  and   the  perils  of 
domestic  strafe  and  vicissitudes. 

"  By  the  Father  of  his  Country  our  Constitution  was  commended  for  adop- 
tion as  'the  result  of  a  spirit  of  amity  and  mutual  concession.'  In  that 
same  spirit  it  should  be  administered,  in  order  to  promote  the  lasting  wel- 
fare of  the  country  and  to  secure  the  full  measure  of  its  priceless  benefits 
to  us  and  to  those  who  will  succeed  to  the  blessings  of  our  national  life. 
The  large  variety  of  diverse  and  competing  interests  subject  to  Federal  con- 
trol, persistently  seeking  the  recognition  of  their  claims,  need  give  us  no 
fear  that  '  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number '  will  fail  to  be  accom- 
plished if,  in  the  halls  of  national  legislation,  that  spirit  of  amity  and  mutual 
concession  shall  prevail  in  which  the  Constitution  had  its  birth.  If  this 
involves  the  surrender  or  postponement  of  private  interests  and  the  aban- 
donment of  local  advantages,  compensation  will  be  found  in  the  assurance 
that  thus  the  common  interest  is  subserved  and  the  general  welfare 
advanced. 

"  In  the  discharge  of  my  official  duty  I  shall  endeavor  to  be  guided  by  a 
just  and  unstrained  construction  of  the  Constitution,  a  careful  observance 
of  the  distinction  between  the  powers  granted  to  the  Federal  Government 
and  those  reserved  to  the  States  or  to  the  people,  and  by  a  cautious  appreci- 
ation of  those  functions  which,  by  the  Constitution  and  laws,  have  been 
especially  assigned  to  the  executive  branch  of  the  Government. 

"  But  he  who  takes  the  oath  to-day  to  preserve,  protect  and  defend  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  only  assumes  the  solemn  obligation 
which  every  patriotic  citizen  on  the  farm,  in  the  workshop,  in  the  busy  marts 
of  trade,  and  everywhere,  should  share  with  him.  The  Constitution  which 
prescribes  his  oath,  my  countrymen,  is  yours;  the  Government  you  have 
chosen  him  to  administer  for  a  time,  is  yours  ;  the  suffrage  which  executes 
the  will  of  freeman,  is  yours  ;  the  laws  and  the  entire  scheme  of  our  civil 
rule,  from  the  town  meeting  to  the  State  Capitols  and  the  National  Capitol, 
is  yours.  Your  every  voter,  as  surely  as  your  Chief  Magistrate,  under  the 
same  high  sanction,  though  in  a  different  sphere,  exercises  a  public  trust. 
Nor  is  this  all.  Every  citizen  owes  to  the  country  a  vigilant  watch  and  close 
scrutiny  of  its  public  servants,  and  a  fair  and  reasonable  estimate  of  their 
fidelity  and  usefulness.  Thus  is  the  people's  will  impressed  upon  the  whole 
framework  of  our  civil  polity,  municipal.  State  and  Federal ;  and  this  is  the 
price  of  our  liberty  and  the  inspiration  of  our  faith  in  the  republic. 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  those  serving  the  people  in  public  place  to  closely  limit 
public  expenditures  to  the  actual  needs  of  the  Government,  economically 
administered,  because  this  bounds  the  right  of  the  Government  to  exact 
tribute  from  the  earnings  of  labor  or  the  property  of  the  citizen,  and  be- 
cause public  extravagance  begets  extravagance  among  the  people.  We 
should  never  be  ashamed  of  the  simplicity  and  prudential  economies  which 
are  best  suited  to  the  operation  of  a  republican  form  of  government,  and 
most  compatible  with  the  mission  of  the  American  people.  Those  who  are 
selected  for  a  limited  time  to  manage  public  affairs,  are  still  of  the  people, 
and  may  do  much  by  their  example  to  encourage,  consistently  with  the 


438  LIVES  OF  OUR  PRESIDENTS. 

dignity  of  their  official  functions,  that  plain  way  of  life  which  among  their 
fellow-citizens  aids  integrity  and  promotes  thrift  and  prosperity. 

"The  genius  of  our  institutions,  the  needs  of  our  people  in  their  home  life 
and  the  attention  which  is  demanded  for  the  settlement  and  development  of 
the  resources  of  our  vast  territory,  dictate  the  scrupulous  avoidance  of  any 
departure  from  that  foreign  pol'cy  commended  by  the  history,  the  traditions 
and  the  prosperity  of  our  republic.  It  is  the  policy  of  independence,  favored 
by  our  position  and  defended  by  our  known  love  of  justice  and  by  our  power- 
It  is  the  policy  of  peace,  suitable  to  our  interests.  It  is  the  policy  of  neul 
trality,  rejecting  any  share  in  foreign  broils  and  ambitions  upon  other  con 
tinents,  and  repelling  their  intrusion  here.  It  is  the  policy  of  Monroe,  of 
Washington  and  Jefferson:  '  Peace,  commerce  and  honest  friendship  with 
all  nations;  entangling  alliances  with  none.' 

"  A  due  regard  for  the  interests  and  prosperity  of  all  the  people  demands 
that  our  finances  shall  be  established  upon  such  a  sound  and  sensible  basis 
as  shall  secure  the  safety  and  confidence  of  business  interests  and  make  the 
wages  of  labor  sure  and  steady,  and  that  our  system  of  revenue  shall  be  so 
adjusted  as  to  relieve  the  people  from  unnecessary  taxation,  having  a  due 
regard  to  the  interests  of  capital  invested  and  workingmen  employed  in 
American  industries,  and  preventing  the  accumulation  of  a  surplus  in  the 
Treasury  to  tempt  extravagance  and  waste.  Care  for  the  property  of  the 
nation,  and  for  the  needs  of  future  settlers,  requires  that  the  public  domain 
should  be  protected  from  purloining  schemes  and  inlawf ul  occupation . 

"  The  conscience  of  the  people  demands  that  the  Indians  within  our  bound- 
aries shall  be  fairly  and  honestly  treated  as  wards  of  the  Government,  and 
their  education  and  civilization  promoted  with  a  view  to  their  ultimate 
citizenship  ;  and  that  polygamy  in  the  Territories,  destructive  of  the  family 
relation  and  offensive  to  the  moral  sense  of  the  civilized  world,  shall  be  re- 
pressed. The  laws  should  be  rigidly  enforced  which  prohibit  the  immigra- 
tion of  a  servile  class  to  compete  with  American  labor  with  no  intention  of 
acquiring  citizenship,  and  bringing  with  them  and  retaining  habits  and 
customs  repugnant  to  our  civilization. 

"The  people  demand  reform  in  the  administration  of  the  Goverment  and 
the  application  of  business  principles  to  public  affairs.  As  a  means  to  this 
end,  civil  service  reform  should  be  in  good  faith  enforced.  Our  citizens  have 
the  right  to  protection  from  the  incompetency  of  public  employes  who  hold 
their  places  solely  as  the  reward  of  partisan  service,  and  from  the  corrupt- 
ing influence  of  those  who  promise  and  the  vicious  method  of  those  who 
expect  such  rewards.  And  those  who  worthily  seek  public  employment 
have  the  right  to  insist  that  merit  and  competency  shall  be  recognized  in- 
stead of  party  subserviency,  or  the  surrender  of  honest  political  belief. 

"  In  the  administration  of  a  government  pledged  to  do  equal  and  exact 
justice  to  all  men,  there  should  be  no  pretext  for  anxiety  touching  the  pro- 
tection of  the  freedmen  in  their  rights,  or  their  security  in  the  enjoyment  of 
their  privileges  under  the  Constitution  and  its  amendments.  All  discussion 
as  to  their  fitness  for  the  place  accorded  to  them  as  American  citizens  is  idle 
and  unprofitable,  except  as  it  suggests  the  necessity  for  their  improvement. 


(JROVER  CLEVELAND.  439 

The  fact  that  they  are  citizens  entitles  them  to  all  the  rights  due  to  that  rela- 
tion, and  charges  them  with  all  its  duties,  obligations  and  responsibilities. 

•'  These  topics  and  the  constant  and  ever-varying  wants  of  an  active  and 
enterprising  population,  may  well  receive  the  attention  and  the  patriotic 
endeavors  of  those  who  make  and  execute  the  Federal  law.  Our  duties  are 
practical  and  call  for  industrious  application,  an  intelligent  perception  of 
the  claims  of  public  office,  and,  above  all,  a  firm  determination,  by  united 
action,  to  secure  to  all  the  people  of  the  land  the  full  benefits  of  the  best 
form  of  government  ever  vouchsafed  to  man.  And  let  us  not  trust  to 
human  effort  alone;;  but,  humbly  acknowledging  the  power  and  goodness  of 
Almighty  God,  who  presides  over  the  destiny  of  nations  and  who  has  at  all 
times  been  revealed  in  our  country's  history,  let  us  invoke  His  aid  and  Sis 
blessing  uoon  our  labors." 

On  the  day  after  the  inauguration  President  Cleveland  sent 
his  Cabinet  nominations  to  the  Senate  for  confirmation.  The 
gentlemen  selected  were  as  follows :  Secretary  of  State, 
Thomas  F.  Bayard,  of  Delaware;  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
Daniel  Manning,  of  New  York;  Secretary  of  War,  William  C. 
Endicott,  of  Massachusetts;  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  William  C. 
Whitney,  of  New  York;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  L.  Q.  C. 
Lamar,  of  Mississippi;  Postmaster-General,  William  F.  Vilas, 
of  Wisconsin;  Attorney-General.  A.  H.  Garland,  of  Arkansas. 

President  Cleveland's  administration  has  begun  under  the 
most  propitious  circumstances  and  from  its  present  progress 
bids  fair  to  be  all  that  the  country  can  desire  for  an  able  and 
economical  management  of  the  national  affairs.  His  appoint- 
ments have  given  satisfaction  and  confidence  and  his  econom- 
ical reforms  have  won  for  him  the  admiration  of  his  country- 
men irrespective  of  party. 

The  President's  home  life  at  the  White  House  began  in  charm- 
ing simplicity  and  absence  of  ceremony,  with  his  sister,  Miss 
Rose  Elizabeth  Cleveland,  as  mistress  of  the  house.  The  social 
atmosphere  of  the  White  House  is  a  subject  of  more  interest 
in  Washington  society  than  questions  of  State  and  politics,  and 
it  indicates  a  spirit  of  industry  in  President  Cleveland  to  know 
that  breakfast  is  served  at  8  o'clock  each  morning  and  that  his 
secretary  and  clerks  are  at  their  desks  at  an  early  hour. 

As  the  last  successor  of  Washington  and  as  the  exponent  of 
the  principles  of  Jefferson,  there  is  important  work  ahead  for 
President  Cleveland,  and  we  hope  he  will  perform  it  nobly. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  DISCOVERY. 

The  physical  formation  of  the  earth  has  been  BO  peculiarly 
subject  to  volcanic  action,  that  the  earliest  date  of  existence  of 
the  continent  of  America  is  a  vague  and  uncertain  period  in 
the  speculative  mind  of  the  scientist.  That  it  was  at  an  early 
period  joined  to  Asia  is  a  well-founded  belief.  But  whatever 
condition  of  human  existence  it  then  possessed  different  from 
the  aborigines  found  at  its  discovery,  is  still  but  a  speculative 
theory,  and  the  mound-builders  and  other  races  that  gave  evi- 
dence of  a  remote  civilization  will  perhaps  remain  forever  hid- 
den in  mystery. 

Until  the  fifteenth  century  the  continent  was  not  only  en- 
tirely unknown  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Old  World,  but  it  was 
not  even  known  that  the  earth  was  a  globe.  Even  the  most 
skilled  navigators  believed  it  to  be  a  great  circular  plain,  like 
the  top  of  a  round  table,  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  sea 
of  unknown  extent,  with  terrible  mysteries  in  the  boundless 
waste  of  waters  beyond.  They  even  supposed  that  at  a  short 
distance  above  the  earth  the  heavens  rose  like  a  great  arch  and 
rested  on  the  tops  of  the  highest  mountains,  while  the  sun,  moon 
and  stars  were  thought  to  rise  from  and  set  beneath  the  waves 
of  the  sea.  A  few  wise  men  among  the  Greeks  thought  the 
earth  was  a  globular  body,  and  that  it  revolved  around  the  sun; 
but  it  was  dangerous  in  those  days  to  advance  such  ideas,  and 
they  withheld  their  opinions.  The  belief  in  the  earth's  flat- 
ness was  still  held,  even  after  navigators  who  had  been  driven 
out  of  their  course  by  adverse  winds  had  discovered  the  Azores 
and  Madeira  Islands.  But  a  master  spirit  arose  in  the  fifteenth 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 


441 


century  and  boldly  asserted  the  doctrine  of  the  Greek  philoso- 
phers. That  man  was  Christopher  Columbus,  who,  after 
long  study,  had  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  our  earth  was  a 
globe,  and  that  only  a  part  of  it  was  then  known  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  Europe. 


CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS. 

At  that  time,  mariners  were  anxious  to  find  a  passage  by 
water  to  the  eastern  shore  of  Asia,  of  which  many  stories 
were  told  of  its  fabulous  wealth  of  gold  and  diamonds  and 
precious  stones.  It  was  at  this  period  that  Christopher  Colum 
bus  blessed  the  world  by  his  superior  mind.  A  native  of  sunny 
Italy,  born  at  Genoa  in  1435,  he  had  been  reared  from  child- 


443  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

hood  on  the  bosom  of  the  sea,  and  had  roamed  over  nearly  all 
the  known  world  at  that  time.  Being  a  thorough  navigator 
and  a  close  student  of  geography  and  astronomy,  he  began  to 
advance  the  theory  that  the  earth  was  round,  and  asserted  that 
he  could  reach  Asia  by  sailing  west.  Struck  with  this  concep- 
tion, he  addressed  himself  successively  to  every  maritime 
power  in  Europe,  for  assistance  in  discovering  the  truth  of  his 
theory.  But  treated  as  a  wild,  visionary  adventurer,  he 
had  well-nigh  become  utterly  discouraged  when  Isabella, 
Spain's  noble  Queen,  interested  herself  in  his  behalf,  and  even 
resolved  to  sacrifice  her  jewels  to  aid  the  purposes  of  Colum- 
bus. With  such  a  fair  and  noble  friend  enlisted  in  his  behalf, 
Columbus  set  sail  on  Friday,  August  3,  1492,  from  the  Spanish 
port  of  Palos  on  his  western  voyage  of  discovery,  with  three 
little  ships  that  were  frail  indeed  for  such  a  voyage  among 
unknown  dangers,  without  a  chart  or  knowledge  of  the  diffi- 
culties he  was  to  encounter.  Who  can  contemplate  his  feelings 
and  those  of  his  crew,  as  day  after  day  they  sailed  away  from 
everything  they  knew  of  the  earth  ?  When  he  struck  the  trade 
winds  that  swept  his  little  ships  on  more  swiftly  to  the  west, 
fear  and  grave  mistrust  began  to  rise  in  the  breasts  of  his 
sailors,  as  they  looked  forward  with  a  grave  fear  that  they 
would  reach  the  edge  of  the  world  and  be  swept  over  into  a 
terrible  vortex  beneath. 

After  ten  weeks  had  passed,  indications  of  land  were  seen  : 
birds,  weeds,  and  berries,  and  also  a  cane,  curiously  carved  as 
if  by  some  strange  race  of  human  beings.  Still  day  after  day 
passed  on,  and  the  sun  rose  and  set  upon  the  wide  waste  of 
waters,  and  land  appeared  not.  Morning  and  evening,  clouds 
fringing  the  horizon  had  often  deceived  the  weary  mariners 
into  the  glad  cry  of  land,  but  the  deception  floated  away,  and 
still  the  wild  waves  rose  and  fell.  The  frightened  and  muti- 
nous sailors  refused  to  venture  further  to  their  almost  certain 
destruction,  and  clamored  to  return  ;  but  the  calm,  heroic  cour- 
age of  Columbus  won  their  devotion  from  time  to  time,  and  he 
reasoned  with  them  so  calmly,  so  ably,  to  convince  them  of  the 
correctness  of  his  theory,  that  again  they  would  become  half 
converted  and  once  more  willing. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  443 

At  last  the  fragrant  land  breezes,  laden  with  the  perfume  of 
tropic  flowers,  floated  over  the  decks  of  the  little  waifs  on  the 
bosom  of  the  strange  ocean,  and  the  next  morning  that  beauti- 
ful scene  of  enchantment,  a  tropic  island  of  the  New  World, 
lay  before  them  like  a  gem  upon  the  bosom  of  the  ocean,  and 
the  sorrows  and  misgivings  of  the  long,  weary  voyage  were 
ended. 

How  vivid  in  imagination  and  remembrance  is  that  picture 
of  the  landing  so  f  amiliar  to  every  schoolboy  :  Columbus  stand- 
ing in  proud  dignity,  bearing  aloft  the  banner  and  emblem  of 
Spain,  with  his  brave  and  enduring  seamen  bowing  before  him 
in  thankfulness  to  God,  while  the  wondering  and  awe-struck 
natives  have  thrown  themselves  upon  their  faces  or  stand  peer- 
ing through  the  rich  tropical  foliage  at  the  superior  beings  be- 
fore them,  whom  they  believed  to  be  deities,  and  the  ships  huge 
birds  that  had  borne  them  on  snowy  wings  from  heaven.  Alas! 
the  illusion  was  but  too  quickly  dispelled  when  armies  of  the 
Spanish  conquerors,  by  their  inhuman  cruelty,  made  themselves 
more  like  devils  than  gods  to  the  poor,  simple  natives. 

Columbus  took  formal  possession  in  the  name  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  and,  planting  a  cross,  he  called  the  island  San 
Salvador,  or  Holy  Saviour.  The  island,  which  is  one  of  the 
Bahamas,  was  explored,  and  then  a  short  voyage  of  discovery 
was  made  to  the  West  Indies,  of  which  he  had  learned  from 
the  natives  of  San  Salvador. 

At  the  end  of  three  months,  Columbus  re-embarked  with  his 
crew  and  seven  natives,  and  set  sail  for  Spain,  to  bear  the  glad 
news  of  his  great  discovery,  of  which  he  had  abundant  proof 
in  the  dusky  natives  and  other  trophies.  The  homeward 
voyage  was  made  with  joyous  speed,  and  on  the  15th  of  March, 
1493,  the  sea-worn  ships  arrived  at  Palos,  where  the  grandest 
ovation  was  given  to  Columbus  and  his  faithful  sailors,  and  a 
triumphal  march  was  made  to  Barcelona,  the  court  of 
Spain,  where  the  King  and  Queen  were  waiting  to  graciously 
receive  Columbus  and  hear  from  him  a  recital  of  the  wonderful 
things  he  had  to  tell  them  of  the  New  World  he  had  given  to 
' '  Castile  and  Aragon. "  It  was  a  proud  day  for  Columbus.  The 
Bong  and  Queen  appointed  him  Viceroy  over  all  that  he  had  or 


444  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

should  discover  in  the  New  World,  and  titles  of  nobility  were 
bestowed  upon  him  and  his  family. 

After  this,  he  soon  again  made  other  voyages  ;  but  although 
he  discovered  many  other  islands,  and  actually  saw  the  main- 
land at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  he  never  appeared  to  realize 
that  there  was  a  mighty  continent  lying  west  of  the  islands. 

The  triumph  of  Columbus  aroused  the  envy  and  the  machi- 
nations of  his  enemies,  and  they  finally  succeeded  by  false  ac- 
cusations in  having  him  placed  in  chains  and  disgrace.  While 
Queen  Isabella  lived  she  defended  and  protected  him,  but  at  her 
death  the  noble  discoverer  was  left  to  persecution  and  neglect, 
and  soon  the  sorrows  of  his  life  wore  out  his  feeble  body,  wasted 
by  disease,  and,  commending  his  spirit  to  God,  he  passed  away 
to  explore  the  land  beyond  the  last  river.  Beautifully  did  the 
German  poet  render  tribute  to  him  in  the  following  lines  upon 
his  death  : 

"  Soon  with  thee  will  all  be  o'er, 

Soon  the  voyage  be  begun 

That  shall  bear  thee  to  discover 

Far  away  a  land  unknown. 

"  Land  that  each  alone  must  visit, 

But  no  tidings  bring  to  men ; 
For  no  sailor,  once  departed, 
Ever  hath  returned  again. 

"  .No  drift-wood  nor  clustering  berries 

Ever  came  from  that  far  wild  ; 
No  carved  staff,  or  broken  branches, 
Nor  the  corse  of  angel  child. 

"  All  is  mystery  before  thee  ; 

But  in  peace,  and  love,  and  faith, 
And  with  hope  attended,  sailst  thou 
Off  upon  the  ship  of  Death. 

"  Undismayed,  my  noble  sailor, 

Spread,  then,  spread  thy  canvas  out ; 
Spirit,  on  a  sea  of  ether, 
Soon  shalt  thou  serenely  float 

"  Where  the  sea  no  plummet  soundeth  ; 

Fear  no  hidden  breakers  there  ; 
And  the  fanning  wings  of  angels 
Shall  thy  bark  right  onward  bear. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  445 

"  Quit  now,  full  of  heart  and  comfort, 

These  Azores — they're  of  earth  ; 
Where  the  rosy  clouds  are  parting, 
There  the  '  Blessed  Isles '  loom  forth. 

"  Seest  thou  now  thy  San  Salvador  ? 

Him,  thy  Saviour,  thou  shalt  hail, 
Where  no  storms  of  earth  shall  reach  thee, 
Where  no  more  thy  heart  shall  fail." 

Honors  were  then  showered  on  his  memory  and  inscriptions 
blazoned  on  his  tomb  where,  in  the  island  of  Hispafiola,  his 
body  lay  for  nearly  three  hundred  years,until  the  remains  were 
transferred  to  Havana,  Cuba,  where  they  are  treasured  with 
sacred  care. 

A  year  after  the  third  voyage  of  Columbus,  a  Florentine 
navigator  named  Amerigo  Vespucci  made  a  voyage  to  the 
coast  of  South  America,  and  having  written  a  distinct  account 
of  his  discovery,  the  country  was  named  after  him,  and  once 
more  was  Columbus  robbed.  Other  navigators  were  also  busy, 
and  in  the  year  1496  John  Cabot,  a  British  mariner,  explored 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  in  1497  discovered  Newfoundland. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  SPANISH  CONQUESTS. 

Spain,  possessed  at  that  period  of  her  greatest  glory  and  strength 
of  a  powerful  navy,  was  not  idle  in  regard  to  her  new  possessions, 
and  rapidly  subdued  and  colonized  the  West  Indies,  and  reduced 
the  natives  to  slavery.  From  these  islands  she  stretched  her 
conquering  arms  further,  and  exploring  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  took 
possession  of  a  portion  of  Yucatan,  and  planted  colonies  at  Pan- 
ama and  Porto  Bello,  these  being  the  first  settlements  made  on 
the  American  Continent.  In  1520,  Magellan,  a  Portuguese 
in  the  service  of  Spain,  discovered  the  Pacific  Ocean  by  sailing 
through  the  straits  which  bear  his  name,  and  although  he  died 
on  the  voyage,  his  ship  passed  on  and  reached  Asia,  from 
which  it  returned  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Spain,  forever 
settling  all  doubts  as  to  the  globular  form  of  the  earth. 

Among  the  many  adventurers  of  Spain  was  one  Juan  Ponce 


446  EARLY   HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

de  Leon,  at  one  time  Governor  of  Porto  Eico.  This  gentle- 
man's credulity  had  been  imposed  upon  by  the  natives,  who 
told  him. a  fabulous  story  about  a  famed  "Fountain  of  Youth '' 
which  rejuvenated  those  who  drank  of  its  wonderful  waters. 
Ponce  de  Leon  was  growing  old,  but  ardently  desiring  to  be 
young  again,  he  fitted  out  three  ships  and  started  on  a  voyage 
to  discover  the  waters  that  could  heal  the  scars  of  time.  He 
found  them  not,  but  coasting  along  in  his  vain  search,  he  dis- 
covered a  land  of  floral  beauty  and  sweet  perfumes,  which  he 
named  Florida,  and  landing  where  St.  Augustine  now  stands, 
he  took  possession  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain.  Being 
appointed  Governor,  he  afterward  returned  to  colonize  the  land, 
but  his  force  was  attacked  and  defeated  by  the  natives  and  de 
Leon  himself  was  mortally  wounded  and  returned  to  Cuba, 
where  he  died. 

Soon  after  this  other  Spaniards  sailed  along  the  southern 
coast  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  the  natives  to  work  as  slaves 
in  Cuba  and  San  Domingo.  They  were  partly  successful  in 
their  cruel  adventures,  but  later  they  found  the  natives  aroused, 
and  a  signal  defeat  of  the  Spaniards  broke  up  such  expeditions 
on  the  coast  now  possessed  by  the  United  States.  But  further 
south,  Cortez  and  Pizarro,  two  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  Span- 
ish adventurers  with  small  armies  under  their  command, 
invaded  Mexico  and  Peru  and  conquered  the  inhabitants  and 
practiced  the  most  heartless  cruelties  upon  them.  C;  rtez  sub- 
dued Mexico,  after  putting  to  death  Montezuma.  Pizarro 
overran  Peru  and  gathered  unbounded  wealth  from  the  inhab- 
itants, whom  he  forced  to  dig  in  the  mines  to  fill  his  treasury 
with  gold  and  silver.  The  cruelty  and  inhumanity  of  these 
two  conquerors  stain  all  the  glory  of  Spain  in  colonizing 
the  New  World. 


CHAPTER  in. 

ENGLISH  AJS'D  FRENCH   EXPLORERS. 

After  the  first  and  second  voyages  of  Columbus  the  fame  of 
his  discoveries  spread  throughout  Europe,  and  England  and 
France,  being  maritime  nations,  naturally  became  eager  to  add 


KAKLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  447 

to  their  own  possessions  by  discoveries  in  the  New  World. 
There  was  at  that  time  a  Venetian  named  John  Cabot  living  in 
Bristol,  England,  as  a  merchant,  who  became  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  bold  adventure,  and  sought  from  Henry  VII.  letters 
patent  for  himself  and  his  sons  to  embark  on  a  voyage  of  dis- 
covery, and  to  take  possession  of  all  lands  they  should  discover, 
in  the  name  of  the  King  of  England.  England's  hardy  seamen 
had  become  trained  to  the  hardships  of  the  Northern  seas  in 
their  regular  fishing  excursions  around  the  coast  of  Iceland, 
and  it  was  but  natural  that  John  Cabot  and  Sebastian,  his  son, 
should  undertake  their  voyage  in  a  northern  latitude.  Sailing 
due  west  from  that  rugged  commercial  town,  Bristol,  after  the 
hardships  of  the  long  voyage  they  discovered  North  America 
in  1497,  one  year  before  Columbus  had  seen  the  coast  of  South 
America  from  a  distance. 

After  this  Sebastian  Cabot  made  many  voyages,  and  for 
a  half  century  was  one  of  the  most  daring  adventurers  on  the 
stormy  main,  having  not  only  visited  Labrador,  but  sailed 
within  twenty-three  degrees  of  the  North  Pole  in  his  attempt 
to  discover  a  northwestern  passage.  He  also  discovered  the 
Newfoundland  fishing  banks,  where  large  schools  of  fish  have 
been  found  for  hundreds  of  years.  The  French  speedily  availed 
themselves  of  the  neglect  of  England  to  monopolize  these 
fisheries,  and  Francis  I.  was  also  aroused  to  a  spirit  of  conquest 
and  sent  Narazzani,  a  Florentine  navigator,  on  a  voyage  of  dis- 
covery. After  touching  at  the  Madeira  Islands,  he  then  sailed 
west,  and  first  s aw  land  where  Wilmington,  North  Carolina, 
now  stands,  from  whence,  without  landing,  he  sailed  north  and 
explored  the  coast.  Narazzani's  explorations  included  New 
York  Harbor  and  Newport,  as  well  as  the  New  England  and  Nova 
Scotia  coasts,  and  from  his  very  full  account  of  his  discoveries 
France  laid  claim  to  all  the  territory  from  South  Carolina  to 
Newfoundland. 

In  1534,  Jacques  Cartier,  an  experienced  mariner,  was  placed 
in  command  of  an  exploring  expedition  for  further  discoveries 
and  for  colonization.  Sailing  direct  for  Newfoundland,  he 
then  proceeded  southwest  through  the  Straits  of  Belleisle  and 
finally  landed  at. the  inlet  of  Gaspe,  where  he  took  possession 


448  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

in  the  name  of  France.  He  soon  after  returned  to  France  with 
the  most  enthusiastic  description  of  the  country  and  its  almost 
tropical  climate,  which  he  had  only  experienced  in  mid-sum- 
mer. His  account  of  the  luxuriance  and  profusion  of  fruits, 
flowers  and  vegetation  induced  the  French  court  to  send  a 
colony  to  the  New  World,  and  in  the  next  year  Cartier  returned 
to  the  land  of  his  discovery  with  a  company  of  young  colonists, 
and,  reaching  the  gulf,  he  named  it  St.  Lawrence,  in  honor  of 
the  anniversary  of  the  saint  of  that  name.  Ascending  the 
river,  to  which  he  gave  the  same  name,  he  reached  a  beautiful 
island  on  which  was  a  high  hill.  This  hill  he  named  Mont 
Real,  which  is  now  the  name  of  the  city  at  that  place,  changed 
to  one  word.  Here  a  fierce  winter  soon  dissipated  his  beau- 
tiful vision  of  a  tropical  climate.  After  this  one  or  two  other 
attempts  to  colonize  were  made,  which  failed,  and  nearly  fifty 
years  elapsed  before  success  in  this  direction  was  gained. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

The  conquests  and  plunder  secured  by  Cortez  and  Pizarro,  and 
the  fabulous  tales  of  untold  wealth  of  gold  and  silver,  had  so 
demoralized  the  Spaniards  that  they  had  no  further  thoughts  of 
colonization  on  the  continent  of  America  than  was  necessary 
for  destroying  the  natives  and  securing  the  wealth  they  could 
find.  For  this  purpose  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  who  had  helped 
Pizarro  pillage  Peru,  undertook  an  expedition  to  conquer  Florida 
and  possess  himself  and  his  followers  with  the  fabulous  wealth 
he  had  been  told  the  country  abounded  in. 

This  permission  was  not  only  granted  by  his  Spanish  sov- 
ereign, but  to  encourage  him  he  was  appointed  Governor  of 
Cuba  and  any  country  he  obtained  possession  of.  Florida  was 
believed  to  be  as  rich  in  cities  and  gold  and  silver  as  Mexico 
and  Peru,  and  volunteers  were  eager  to  embark  in  the  expedi- 
tion. Many  of  Spain's  noblest  sons  joined  the  company,  of 
whom  De  Soto  selected  about  six  hundred,  which  number  was 
swelled  to  one  thousand  in  Cuba,  over  which  island  De  Soto's 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  449 

wife  was  left  to  govern  in  his  absence.  Landing  on  the  coast 
of  Florida  at  what  is  now  called  Tampa  Bay,  with  his  enthusi- 
astic army  of  conquest,  De  Soto  sent  his  ships  back  to  Cuba  so 
that  his  men  would  be  forced  to  rely  upon  courage  and  mili- 
tary skill,  and  started  through  the  pathless  forest  with  Indian 
guides,  who  had  been  enslaved  in  Cuba,  to  lead  them  to  the 
hidden  treasures  of  gold.  Willing  to  humor  the  Spaniards  in 
hopes  of  ultimate  escape,  the  Indian  guides  lured  them  on 
across  the  country  through  forest  and  swamp  in  search  of  gold, 
which  always  seemed  further  on,  like  the  fabled  pot  of  money 
at  the  foot  of  the  rainbow.  The  diversions  of  the  Spaniards 
were  varied  from  card-playing  in  camp  to  the  pillaging  of  the 
Indians,  and  every  cruelty  that  could  be  inflicted  upon  them, 
such  as  cutting  off  their  hands,  burning  them  at  the  stake  and 
tearing  them  to  pieces  by  bloodhounds. 

After  long  and  weary  wandering,  they  at  last  reached  the 
present  site  of  Mobile,  then  a  walled  Indian  town  named 
Mavilla.  Coveting  the  rude  comfort  and  shelter  of  this  town, 
De  Soto  attacked  it  and  a  bloody  battle  ensued ,  in  which  the 
Spanish  gained  a  victory,  but  the  town  was  burned  and  their 
baggage  lost  in  the  fierce  struggle.  This  coveted  winter 
quarters  being  lost  to  them,  De  Soto  led  his  men  to  the  northern 
part  of  the  State  of  Mississippi,  where  they  quartered  in  a 
deserted  village  and  foraged  on  the  corn  belonging  to  the 
Indians.  Here  they  had  a  fierce  fight  with  the  Chickasaw 
Indians,  and  only  won  a  victory  over  them  at  dear  cost. 

When  spring  returned  they  once  more  started  on  their  weary 
march,  in  sad  plight,  with  their  clothing  in  rags  and  a  most 
meagre  supply  of  food.  On  this  march  De  Soto  discovered  the 
Missisippi  River,  which  he  regretted  finding  in  his  path,  imped- 
ing as  it  did  his  progress  westward  after  the  cities  and  wealth 
which  seemed  forever  fleeing  before  him  and  eluding  his  grasp. 
A  month  was  required  in  building  boats  to  transport  his  horses 
across.  Then  the  weary  wanderers  tramped  two  hundred 
miles  further  westward,  finding  nothing  but  poor  Indians  and 
a  little  corn.  Another  winter  was  passed  through  and  nothing 
was  accomplished  except  poverty,  of  which  they  were  secur- 
ing more  every  day.  Two  hundred  miles  more  had  been 


450 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 


traversed  further  south,  and  in  the  spring  De  Soto  descended 
the  Wachita  and  Red  rivers  and  once  more  reached  the  turbid 
Father  of  Waters,  sick,  worn  out  and  broken  in  spirit,  with 
all  his  hopes  of  wealth  vanished  away.  Disease  and  death  had 
wasted  and  thinned  the  ranks  of  his  once  proud  followers 
until  the  gloom  of  despair  had  well  nigh  settled  upon  them. 
Then  came  the  closing  scene,  a  violent  fever,  a  rapid  sinking, 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER  BY  DE  SOTO. 

and  the  once  proud  De  Soto  was  no  more,  and  with  nis  body 
wrapped  in  his  winding  :  heet  he  was  buried  beneath  the 
muddy  waters,  and  by  slow  degrees  the  remnant  of  his  army 
of  conquest,  themselves  vanquished  by  sickness,  hunger,  want 
and  bitter  disappointment,  reached  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and 
returned  to  Cuba  and  Spain,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  years 
passed  away  before  the  bosom  of  the  mighty  river  was  again 
looked  upon  by  a  white  man. 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF   AMERICA.  451 

CHAPTER  V. 

PERMANENT  SETTLEMENT  OF  AMERICA. 

It  is  probable  that  the  wilds  of  North  America  would  have 
remained  without  permanent  settlements  for  a  long  period  of 
time  were  it  not  that  religious  and  political  changes  in  Europe 
were  paving  the  way  for  peopling  this  country  with  a  noble  ele- 
ment of  mankind,  who  left  their  native  lands  for  conscience' 
sake  and  embarked  with  their  wives  and  children  for  the  hard- 
ships and  dangers  of  the  New  World.  Never  before  or  since  in 
the  history  of  the  world  have  there  been  such  examples  of  re- 
ligious principles  and  sentiments  of  civil  liberty  as  actuated  the 
colonists  who  settled  the  United  States.  How  sublime  the  con- 
trast to  those  brutal  hordes  of  robbers  under  Cortez  and  Pi- 
zarro  who  came  for  murder,  rapine  and  pillage.  They  belonged 
to  the  dark  ages  of  the  world.  Our  ancestors  were  born  with 
the  Reformation  and  its  higher  Christian  sentiments,  and  the 
era  of  a  dawning  civil  liberty  destined  to  disenthrall  the  world. 
Driven  from  their  homes  by  religious  persecutions  and  civil 
commotions,  they  sought  permanent  homes  where  the  freedom 
of  conscience  was  of  greater  value  than  the  wealth  and  com- 
fort of  bigoted  Europe. 

The  first  attempt  in  France  to  found  a  colony  in  the  New 
World  through  this  incentive  was  made  by  Coligny,  the  French 
admiral,  who  was  an  earnest  Protestant  and  was  anxious  that 
his  co-religionists  might  have  an  asylum  to  which  they  might 
flee  from  the  persecutions  that  encompassed  them,  and  although 
the  French  Government  was  indifferent  on  the  subject,  Coligny 
obtained  a  commission  from  Charles  IX.  and  fitted  out  an  expe- 
dition which  sailed  in  command  of  Captain  John  Ribault,  an 
earnest  Protestant,  who  was  known  to  have  the  best  interests 
of  the  colonists  at  heart.  The  experience  of  the  French 
in  the  St.  Lawrence  settlement  induced  them  to  seek  a 
warmer  climate,  and  the  ships  were  steered  for  the  Florida 
coast,  where  they  landed,  first  at  St.  Augustine  and  then 
steered  further  north  along  the  Carolina  shore,  where 
they  landed  at  the  harbor  now  known  as  Port  Royal 
in  the  year  1562.  Here,  surrounded  by  magnificent  forests 


452  EARLY  HISTORY  OP   AMERICA. 

filled  with  fragrant  flowers  and  all  the  luxuriance  of  the 
delightful  climate,  they  began  a  settlement,  and  built 
a  fort  on  one  of  the  islands,  and  named  it  Carolina  in  honor 
of  the  French  Queen.  Leaving  the  colonists  in  charge  of  the  fort 
to  maintain  possession  of  the  country,  Captain  Ribault  returned 
with  the  ships  to  France  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  provisions 
and  more  colonists.  But  France  was  at  that  time  in  the  throes 
of  civil  war,  and  Ribault  found  it  impossible  to  return  to  the 
New  World.  The  unhappy  colonists  at  Port  Royal  were  thus 
left  in  a  destitute  condition,  and  after  waiting  vainly  for 
months,  they  set  about  building  a  ship,  and  when  the  poorly- 
constructed  craft  was  completed  they  set  sail  for  France  insuf- 
ficiently provided  for  the  voyage,  and  when  nearly  perishing 
from  famine,  they  were  rescued  by  an  English  ship,  and  their 
glowing  account  of  the  rich  soil,  fine  climate  and  luxuriant 
forests  greatly  inclined  the  English  to  colonization. 

At  the  first  lull  in  the  civil  war  in  France,  Coligny  prepared 
another  expedition  under  Laudoniere,  who  had  been  with  the 
Port  Royal  expedition.  Their  destination  this  time  was  Florida, 
of  which  fabulous  stories  of  its  climate  and  great  wealth  were 
still  told.  These  great  expectations  naturally  drew  into  the 
ranks  of  the  colonists  many  adventurers.  Reaching  Florida  in 
1564,  they  formed  a  settlement  on  the  river  now  called  St. 
Johns,  where  they  built  another  fort,  which  they  also  named 
Carolina.  Shortly  after  the  settlement  was  made,  a  number 
of  the  adventurers,  under  pretense  of  going  to  Spain,  em- 
barked as  pirates,  and  being  captured  by  the  Spanish,  some 
were  made  slaves. 

Famine  now  threatened  the  little  colony  while  awaiting 
anxiously  for  provisions  and  recruits  from  France.  None 
came,  and,  becoming  disheartened,  they  were  on  the  point  of 
re-embarking  for  France  in  an  English  vessel,  commanded  by 
Sir  John  Hawkins,  who  had  arrived  from  the  West  Indies, 
where  he  had  disposed  of  a  cargo  of  African  slaves.  Just  as 
the  colonists  were  preparing  to  leave,  Captain  Ribault  came 
into  the  harbor  with  supplies  and  several  shiploads  of  emi- 
grants, with  everything  requisite  for  tilling  the  soil.  Hope  and 
joy  returned  to  the  colonists,  and  they  decided  to  remain. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  458 

But  a  melancholy  fate  was  in  store  for  the  little  colony. 
Philip  II.,  the  cruel  and  infamous  King  of  Spain,  learned  that 
French  Protestants  had  settled  in  Florida,  and  he  at  once  re- 
solved to  destroy  them  and  break  up  the  colony.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  sent  Pedro  Melendez,  a  cruel,  bloodthirsty  man,  to 
conquer  Florida,  and  made  him  Governor  for  lif e.  Bis  pur- 
pose was  to  cultivate  sugar-cane  in  Florida  with  negro  slaves, 
and  he  quickly  had  a  large  expedition  under  way.  As  at  that 
period  there  was  a  patron  saint  for  almost  every  day  in  the 
year,  the  Spanish  fleet  landed  on  St.  Augustine  day,  which 
gave  the  name  to  the  oldest  town  which  now  exists  in  the 
United  States.  The  Huguenots  were  greatly  surprised  to  see 
the  Spanish  ships,  and  inquiring  who  they  were  and  what  the 
purpose  was,  were  answered  as  follows :  "  I  am  Melendez  of 
Spain,  sent  by  my  sovereign  to  behead  and  gibbet  every 
Protestant  in  these  regions  ;  the  Catholics  shall  be  spared,  but 
every  Protestant  shall  die." 

At  this  announcement  the  French  fleet  fled,  pursued  by  the 
Spanish,  who,  failing  to  overtake  them,  returned,  and  after 
laying  out  the  boundaries  of  St.  Augustine,  prepared  to  destroy 
the  Protestant  colony.  In  the  short  contest  which  ensued  the 
French  were  overpowered,  and  nearly  every  man,  woman  and 
child  was  massacred.  To  justify  his  actions  before  France 
and  the  Catholic  world,  Melendez  raised  above  the  graves 
this  inscription  :  "  I  do  not  this  as  unto  Frenchmen,  but  as 
unto  heretics." 

Scarcely  had  the  carnage  ceased  before  a  storm  wrecked  the 
French  fleet,  and  when  the  crews  had  surrendered  to  Melendez 
on  his  promise  of  humanity  toward  them,  he  marched  them 
out  and  murdered  them  all  to  a  man.  Thus,  by  shipwreck  and 
massacre  nearly  one  thousand  persons  perished. 

France  was  indifferent  to  the  massacre  of  her  Protestant 
subjects,  but  the  Huguenots  were  aroused  to  righteous  ven- 
geance at  the  fiendish  cruelty  of  the  Spaniards,  and  Dominic 
de  Gourges,  a  French  Huguenot,  fitted  out  three  ships,  with  a 
determined  force  of  nearly  two  hundred  men,  and,  sailing  for 
Florida,  they  surprised  the  Spaniards  at  the  scene  of  the  mas- 
sacre, and,  completely  overpowering  them,  hung  about  two 


454  EARLY   HISTORY  OF   AMKRICA. 

hundred  of  them  to  the  trees,  with  this  inscription  placed 
above  them:  "  I  do  not  this  as  unto  Spaniards,  but  as  unto 
traitors,  robbers  and  murderers  1  " 

Thus  avenging  the  murder  of  hia  brethren,  Gourges  returned 
to  France,  where  the  Catholic  King  offered  a  reward  for  his 
head,  which  compelled  the  just  avenger  to  conceal  himself  to 
save  his  life,  and  this  was  the  end  of  the  French  Protestant 
colony  in  America. 

The  French  Government,  in  its  friendly  relations  with  Cath- 
olic Spain,  relinquished  all  claim  upon  Florida,  and  once  more 
turned  its  attention  to  the  profitable  fisheries  of  Newfound- 
land and  to  the  colonization  of  the  St.  Lawrence  country. 

In  1567,  a  commission  was  granted  to  the  Marquis  de  la 
Roche  for  establishing  a  colony,  but  the  company  secured  for 
the  purpose  were  criminals,  and  the  enterprise  failed.  In  1608, 
Samuel  Champlain  formed  an  expedition  of  a  company  of 
merchants  of  Rouen  which  proved  a  success.  In  the  same  year, 
Sieur  de  Monts,  a  Huguenot,  secured  letters  patent  bestow- 
ing upon  him  the  governorship  of  the  territory  extending  from 
Philadelphia  to  beyond  Montreal,  called  at  that  time  Acadia, 
and  reaching  as  far  west  as  he  should  extend  his  rule.  This 
patent  secured  to  him  the  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  and  gen- 
eral commerce,  and  granted  religious  freedom  and  protection 
to  all  Protestants  entering  the  colony. 

Two  ships  were  secured  for  the  expedition,  which  hi  due  time 
entered  a  harbor  in  Nova  Scotia  which  they  named  Port  Royal. 
Here  an  abundance  of  fish  and  a  fertile  soil  offered  the  Acadians 
the  most  hopeful  prospects  of  success.  The  settlement  was 
made  in  1607,  and  this  was  the  first  permanent  French  colony 
in  America. 

A  few  years  later  the  Jesuits  came  as  missionaries  among  the 
Indians  in  Maine,  and  by  their  influence  secured  the  alliance  of 
the  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  tribes,  who  remained  as  allies 
during  all  the  French  contest  with  England  for  supremacy  in 
the  New  World. 

De  Monts  endeavored  to  form  settlements  in  New  England, 
but  failed.  Champlain  in  the  meantime  founded  Quebec,  and 
made  many  explorations,  among  which  he  discovered  the  lake 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF  AMERICA.  455 

which  bears  his  name.  Thus  by  his  perseverance  he  succeeded 
in  making  a  permanent  French  settlement  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  which  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  remained  under 
the  crown  of  France. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ENGLISH  EXPLORATIONS  AND   SETTLEMENTS. 

England's  valid  claim  to  supremacy  in  North  America  was 
based  upon  the  discoveries  of  Sebastian  Cabot.  But  for  nearly 
one  hundred  years  she  had  made  no  definite  attempt  to  colo- 
nize the  territory  she  claimed.  During  this  time,  however, 
she  was  not  idle,  but  by  industry  and  frugality  at  home,  and 
by  the  daring  and  skill  of  her  brave  sailors  among  the  fisheries 
of  the  north,  she  was  training  a  race  of  seamen  who  were  des- 
tined to  sweep  the  Spanish  naval  supremacy  from  the  ocean. 
While  biding  his  time,  Henry  V1LL  was  encouraging  the  navy 
and  building  up  the  commerce  of  his  country  for  a  time  when 
its  white  sails  would  glisten  on  every  ocean. 

Queen  Mary,  who  married  Philip  II.  of  Spain,  seemed  to 
encourage  that  powerful  monarch  in  his  design  to  subjugate 
her  own  country,  and  it  was  but  natural,  during  her  reign,  that 
she  should  encourage  Spanish  occupation  of  the  New  World. 
On  the  accession  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  however,  the  spirit  of 
English  adventure  revived.  Sir  Francis  Drake  made  a  number 
of  voyages  to  the  New  World,  during  which,  after  having  suf- 
fered much  molestation  from  the  Spaniards,  he  landed  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  in  1573,  and  captured  a  rich  treasure 
which  was  about  to  be  shipped  to  Spain.  On  this  voyage  a 
native  directed  him  to  a  high  point,  from  whence  he  saw  the 
Pacific  Ocean  stretching  away  into  the  boundless  blue  expanse. 
This  sight  aroused  in  Drake  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  and  re- 
turing  to  England  he  fitted  out  a  squadron  to  explore  the  great 
ocean.  Returning  to  the  shores  of  the  New  World,  he  sailed 
through  the  Strait  of  Magellan  out  upon  the  Pacific,  where  he 
captured  a  number  of  Spanish  vessels  with  a  large  amount  of 
treasure,  and  sailed  along  the  coast  of  Oregon  as  far  north  as 


456  EARLY   HISTORY    OF   AMERICA. 

latitude  43.  Wintering  in  the  Golden  Gate  at  San  Francisco 
he  returned  home  in  the  spring  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  having,  on  the  voyage,  circumnavigated  the  globe. 

In  1578,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  who  had  been  attracted  by 
the  growing  importance  of  the  Newfoundland  fisheries,  ob- 
tained letters  patent  from  Queen  Elizabeth  to  form  a  settle- 
ment near  the  fisheries.  Landing  at  St.  John's,  Newfoundland, 
he  formally  took  possession  of  the  territory,  to  the  great  sur- 
prise of  the  -fishermen  of  other  nations,  whose  sovereigns  had 
also  obtained  formal  possession.  Sailing  further  north  to  make 
other  discoveries,  Sir  Humphrey  lost  his  largest  ship  and  crew, 
and,  with  only  two  ships  left,  he  sailed  for  home.  With  noble 
courage,  he  shared  the  dangers  of  the  crew  of  the  smallest,  a 
mere  shell,  instead  of  sailing  on  the  large  vessel.  During  a 
storm,  in  which  he  had  been  encouraging  his  men,  the  light  of 
his  little  craft  was  seen  to  suddenly  disappear  beneath  the 
waves,  and  he  was  never  seen  again. 

Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  was  the  next  brave  Englishman  to  prose- 
cute the  explorations  and  colonization  of  the  New  World.  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert  was  his  half-brother,  but,  not  to  be  deterred 
by  his  fate,  Sir  Walter,  the  noble  scholar  and  poet,  under  a 
charter  from  Queen  Elizabeth,  fitted  out  two  vessels  under 
Amidas  and  Barlow,  and,  setting  sail,  they  reached  the  coast  of 
Carolina  in  1584.  Having  studied  the  art  of  war  under  Coligny, 
the  high  admiral  of  France,  Sir  Walter  was  eminently  fitted  for 
the  management  of  such  an  expedition.  They  were  charmed  with 
the  climate  of  the  beautiful  land  in  which  they  had  arrived. 
It  seemed  like  a  delightful  paradise  of  luxuriant  forests,  sweet 
perfumes  and  fruit-laden  bowers,  echoing  with  the  songs  of 
birds  of  the  most  beautiful  plumage.  The  natives  were  gentle 
and  hospitable,  and  kindly  entertained  the  white  strangers. 
After  taking  formal  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of 
England's  Queen,  they  explored  Albemarle  and  Pamlico  Sounds 
and  the  adjoining  coast  and  islands,  and  returned  to  England, 
taking  two  of  the  natives  with  them. 

The  glowing  descriptions  of  the  beautiful  land  and  its  tropi- 
cal luxuriance  aroused  the  spirit  of  colonization,  and  a  fleet  of 
seven  vessels  was  soon  equipped,  and  with  one  hundred  and 


EARLY  HISTORY   OF   AMERICA.  457 

eight  emigrants  on  board,  set  sail  under  command  of  Sir 
Richard  Grenville,  and  about  the  middle  of  June,  1585,  they 
landed  on  Roanoke  Island,  and  after  the  colonists  had  begun 
the  new  settlement  Sir  Richard  Grenville  began  an  explora- 
tion of  the  neighboring  coast  and  inlets.  On  one  of  these  expe- 
ditions he  unwisely  burned  an  Indian  village  and  destroyed 
their  fields  of  corn  because  a  paltry  silver  cup  had  been  lost  or 
stolen.  This  unwise  cruelty  to  the  Indians  was  followed  up 
soon  after  by  Lane,  the  governor  of  the  colony,  hav- 
ing caused  the  murder  of  a  chief  and  his  followers.  These 
acts  lost  to  the  settlers  the  friendship  and  aid  of  the  Indians, 
and  such  was  the  discouraging  experience  of  the  colonists  that, 
when  Sir  Francis  Drake,  on  his  way  home  from  the  West 
Indies,  stopped  at  Roanoke  Island,  the  colonists  re-embarked 
for  home  on  his  vessel.  Scarcely  had  they  sailed  before  a  ship 
sent  by  Raleigh  arrived  with  supplies  for  the  settlement.  In 
two  weeks  more,  Grenville  returned  with  three  ships,  but,  not 
finding  the  colonists,  he  left  fifteen  men  to  hold  possession. 

In  1586,  Raleigh's  second  expedition  arrived  with  emigrants 
and  their  families,  who  came  prepared  to  cultivate  the  soil  and 
be  self-sustaining.  Stopping  at  Roanoke  Island,  they  beheld 
the  melancholy  spectacle  of  the  moldering  bones  of  the  men 
left  by  Grenville.  No  vestige  of  a  human  habitation  was  left, 
and  it  was  supposed  that  all  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Indi- 
ans. The  commander  of  the  fleet  left  the  emigrants  on  Roa- 
noke Island,  where  they  began  to  build  the  city  of  Raleigh. 
They  soon  found  the  Indians  were  hostile,  and  the  colonists  be- 
coming alarmed,  urged  the  Governor  to  return  to  England  for 
assistance.  Previous  to  his  departure  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Dale, 
wife  of  one  of  the  settlers,  gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  the  first 
child  of  English  parentage  born  on  the  soil  of  the  New  "World. 

On  his  return  to  England,  Governor  White  found  the 
country  in  great  alarm  in  view  of  the  expected  invasion  by 
Spain,  which  country  was  at  that  time  preparing  what  was 
called  the  "  Invincible  Armada.''  This  prevented  any  aid 
being  sent  to  the  colony,  and  it  was  not  until  1590  that  White 
could  return.  He  then  found  the  settlement  on  Roanoke  Island 
a  crumbling  ruin,  and  no  vestige  of  the  unhappy  settlers  was 


458  EARLY   HISTORY   OK  AMERICA. 

ever  found,  and  it  could  only  be  supposed  that  they  had  been 
killed  by  the  Indians.  Eighty  years  afterward  there  was  a 
tradition  among  the  Indians  that  they  had  been  carried  off  by 
the  Hatteras  tribe  far  inland,  where  all  vestiges  of  them  were 
lost. 

This  ended  Raleigh's  attempts  at  colonization,  and  after 
having  expended  nearly  $200,000  of  his  private  fortune  in  the 
enterprise,  he  relinquished  his  charter  to  a  company  of  mer- 
chants, although  he  afterward  sent  several  times  at  his  own 
expense  to  search  for  the  lost  colonists.  No  immediate  steps 
were  taken  to  form  new  settlements,  and  as  Sir  Francis  Drake 
had  a  few  years  before  destroyed  the  Spanish  settlement  at 
St.  Augustine,  the  country  was  once  more  left  to  the  red  man, 
one  hundred  years  after  Columbus  had  made  his  first  dis- 
covery. 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh  had,  however,  by  his  example  paved  the 
way  for  the  future  permanent  occupation  of  the  country, 
although  misfortune  soon  clouded  his  life,  and  he  never  enjoyed 
the  fruits  of  his  labors  and  expended  fortune.  On  the  accession 
of  James  I.  to  the  throne,  Raleigh  was  unjustly  accused  of 
plotting  against  the  King,  and  although  he  defended  himself 
with  all  the  eloquence  and  dignity  of  his  innocent  position,  his 
property  was  confiscated,  and  after  a  cruel  imprisonment  of 
thirteen  years  in  the  Tower  of  London  he  was  taken  to  the  scaf- 
fold and  beheaded,  his  last  words  being :  ' '  No  matter  where 
the  head  lies,  so  the  heart  is  all  right !" 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA. 

The  "Invincible  Armada"  having  been  swept  away  by  the 
storms  of  heaven,  as  if  in  derision  and  rebuke  of  the  vanity  of 
the  name,  Spain's  naval  supremacy  on  the  ocean  was  gone,  and 
with  it  departed  her  power  to  appropriate  any  more  of  the  New 
World.  England  became  the  mistress  of  the  seas,  and  from 
that  era  began  to  push  her  conquests  over  the  world. 

King  James  laid  claim  to  all  the  territory  lying  between  Cape 


EAKLY  HISTOBY  OP  AMERICA.  459 

Fear,  in  North  Carolina,  and  Newfoundland  on  the  north,  and 
extending  to  the  west  indefinitely.  This  territory  was  divided 
into  South  Virginia,  extending  from  Cape  Fear  to  the  Potomac, 
and  North  Virginia,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  to  New- 
foundland. To  settle  these  territories,  he  granted  charters  in 
1606  to  two  companies,  known  as  the  Plymouth  Company  and 
the  London  Company,  the  region  between  the  Hudson  and  the 
Potomac  rivers  being  neutral  territory,  which  both  companies 
were  at  liberty  to  settle  within  a  certain  limit  of  each  other, 
Believing  in  the  "  divine  right  of  kings,"  James  I.  undertook 
to  make  all  the  laws  for  the  colonists  himself,  and  forbade 
religious  differences  of  opinion,  requiring  all  to  conform  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England. 

Three  ships  set  sail  for  the  new  home  of  the  colony  of  the  Lon- 
don Company,  composed  of  one  hundred  and  five  persons,  forty- 
eight  of  whom  bore  the  title  of  "  gentleman,"  and  expected  to 
live  in  idleness  and  luxurious  comfort — very  poor  material  for 
the  rugged  settlement  of  the  New  "World.  Captain  Newport, 
the  commander  of  the  fleet,  touched  at  Roanoke  and  visited  the 
ruins  of  the  City  of  Raleigh,  but  a  storm  driving  the  fleet  into 
the  Chesapeake  Bay,  they  entered  a  large  river  which  they 
called  the  James,  in  honor  of  their  King.  Landing  on  the  13th 
of  May,  1607,  they  began  a  settlement  which  they  called  James- 
town, also  in  honor  of  the  English  sovereign,  and  the  capes  at 
the  entrance  of  the  bay  were  called  Henry  and  Charles,  after 
his  sons. 

The  leading  spirit  of  the  C3lony  was  Captain  John  Smith. 
This  celebrated  man,  though  but  thirty  years  of  age  at  the 
time,  had  experienced  an  eventful  history.  He  had  traveled 
through  France,  Italy  and  Egypt ;  had  fought  for  the  freedom 
of  Holland  ;  had  served  as  a  soldier  against  the  Turks  in  Hun- 
gary ;  and  had  been  captured  and  sold  as  a  slave  in  Constanti- 
nople, where  he  had  been  rescued  by  a  Turkish  lady  and  taken 
to  the  Crimea.  There  he  killed  an  oppressor  and  escaped 
through  Russia  to  Morocco,  and,  after  various  other  adven- 
tures, returned  to  England  just  as  the  London  Company  were 
preparing  their  expedition.  This  new  adventure  was  j  ust  suited 
to  Smith's  bold  spirit,  and  he  readily  joined  the  party. 


460  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

It  was  customary  for  colonies  to  carry  with  them  what  was 
called  the  mysterious  box.  This  box  contained  the  names  of 
the  officers  and  council  of  the  settlement  who  had  been  selected 
by  the  King,  and  it  was  opened  after  the  colonists  reached  their 
destination.  When  the  box  of  the  London  Company  was 
opened,  it  was  found,  much  to  the  disappointment  of  cer- 
tain envious  and  jealous  ones,  that  Captain  Smith  was  selected 
by  the  King  as  one  of  the  council.  To  prevent  him  from  act- 
ing in  the  council,  he  was  falsely  accused  and  placed  under 
arrest  ;  but  on  the  trial,  which  he  demanded,  his  enemies 
failed  to  substantiate  their  charges,  and  he  took  his  seat  in  the 
council. 

Soon  after  this  Newport  and  Smith  undertook  to  explore  the 
river  and  adjoining  country  and  to  secure  the  friendship  of  the 
Indians.  They  visited  Powhatan  at  his  capital  on  the  site  of 
Richmond,  where  he  presided  over  thirty  tribes.  The  old  chief, 
who  was  a  tall,  grave  warrior  of  about  sixty  years,  received 
them  with  civility,  but  was  distrustful  of  the  presence  of  the 
white  settlers. 

On  their  return  to  the  settlement  Newport  returned  to  Eng- 
land, leaving  the  colonists  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Sickness 
was  rapidly  spreading  among  them,  their  provisions  were 
spoiled  from  the  long  voyage,  and  in  two  weeks  after  New- 
port's departure  scarcely  a  dozen  of  the  party  were  able  to  wait 
on  the  sick.  Before  winter  half  the  colonists  had  died.  To  make 
their  condition  still  worse,  it  was  discovered  that  Wingfield, 
the  President,  had  been  subsisting  upon  the  choicest  of  the  food, 
and  had  also  conspired  with  others  to  seize  the  public  stores 
and  escape  to  the  West  Indies.  Upon  this  discovery  the  council 
deposed  him,  and  elected  Ratcliffe  as  President.  But  he  was 
found  entirely  incompetent,  and  the  management  of  the  colony 
in  this  serious  crisis  was  unanimously  intrusted  to  Smith.  Im- 
mediately his  wiso  administration  of  affairs  improved  the  condi- 
tion of  the  settlement.  He  encouraged  the  sick  and  timid,  and 
forced  the  rebellious  into  subjection.  To  replenish  their  stock  of 
provisions,  Captain  Smith  organized  trading  expeditions  with 
the  Indians  for  corn,  while  abundance  of  wild  fowl  in  the 
winter  supplied  additional  food. 


EAKLY   HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  461 

Having  thus  improved  the  condition  of  his  people,  Smith 
undertook  a  number  of  voyages  of  discovery  upon  the  neigh- 
boring rivers.  On  one  of  these  expeditions  several  of  his  com- 
panions, having  against  his  orders  left  their  boats,  were  captured 
and  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  Smith  himself,  after  killing 
three  of  his  enemy,  sank  into  a  swamp  and  was  taken  prisoner. 
To  save  himself  from  immediate  death,  he  aroused  their  won- 
der by  showing  them  his  compass,  and  explaining  to  them  the 
wonders  of  astronomy.  For  the  purpose  of  conciliating 
the  Indians  with  presents,  Smith  wrote  to  the  colonists 
to  place  a  number  of  articles  in  positions  he  mentioned, 
and  telling  the  Indians  what  they  would  find  at  cer- 
tain places.  His  words  proved  true,  and  the  simple  Indians 
looked  upon  him  as  a  supernatural  being,  and  he  was 
led  in  triumph  from  village  to  village  and  viewed  with 
great  wonder  and  awe.  At  last  he  was  taken  to  Powhatan's 
village  to  decide  the  fate  of  the  distinguished  captive. 
After  much  ceremony  the  chief  condemned  Smith  to  death, 
and  with  the  head  of  the  captive  laid  upon  a  stone,  Powhatan 
raised  his  war  club  to  strike  the  fatal  blow,  when  his  beautiful 
daughter,  Pocahontas,  whose  friendship  Smith  had  won,  rushed 
between  the  upraised  club  and  Smith,  and  placing  her  head  on 
his  breast,  begged  her  father  to  spare  his  life  or  she  would 
perish  with  him.  The  heart  of  Powhatan  was  touched,  and  he 
not  only  spared  Smith  but  permitted  him  to  return  to  Jamestown 
and  gave  him  assurance  of  the  future  friendship  of  the  In- 
dians. Pocahontas  after  that  frequently  visited  the  colony 
and  brought  them  presents  of  corn  to  relieve  their  pressing 
need. 

When  Captain  Smith  returned  to  Jamestown  he  found  the 
colony  reduced  to  forty  men,  and  the  able-bodied  ones  were 
preparing  to  desert  in  the  small  boats.  With  the  greatest 
bravery,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  Smith  prevented  their  de- 
parture. Soon  after,  Newport  arrived  with  120  emigrants, 
some  of  whom,  in  their  desire  to  stumble  upon  wealth  without 
working  for  it,  found  what  they  took  to  be  gold  ore,  and 
neglecting  everything  else,  the  entire  colony  rushed  to  the  sup- 
posed gold  field,  where  they  toiled  until  they  loaded  a  ship 


462  EARLY  HISTOKY  OF  AMERICA. 

with  the  new-found  treasure,  which,  when  taken  to  England, 
proved  to  be  but  glittering  sand. 

During  three  months  of  the  year  1608  Smith  engaged  in 
axploring  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  Susquehanna  River. 
From  the  friendly  Indians  he  first  heard  of  the  great  warriors, 
the  Mohawks,  who  dwelt  on  a  great  water,  had  many  boats  and 
made  war  on  all  the  world.  Exploring  further,  Smith  dis- 
covered the  harbor  of  Baltimore  and  passed  up  the  Potomac 
above  where  Mount  Vernon  is  situated.  He  thus  traversed 
three  thousand  miles  in  an  open  boat  and  made  an  accurate 
rnap  of  the  country  he  had  explored. 

On  his  return  his  abilities  as  a  leader  were  so  signally  proven 
and  so  fully  recognized  that  he  was  formally  elected  President 
of  the  council,  and  he  began  systematically  to  direct  the  labor 
of  the  colonists  so  that  thrift  might  follow  industry ;  but  to  still 
further  demoralize  the  settlement  another  colony  of  idlers  came 
in  the  fall,  and  in  protest  against  such  useless  material  for 
building  up  the  New  World,  Smith  wrote  to  the  company  at 
home  :  "  When  you  send  again,  I  entreat  you  rather  send  but 
thirty  carpenters,  husbandmen,  gardeners,  fishermen,  black- 
smiths, masons  and  diggers  up  of  trees'  roots,  well  provided, 
than  a  thousand  of  such  as  we  have." 

The  condition  of  the  colony  was  indeed  discouraging  to  Cap- 
tain Smith  as  he  looked  around  and  contemplated  the  result  of 
two  years'  labor,  represented  by  only  about  forty  acres  in  cul- 
tivation, with  a  force  of  over  two  hundred  able-bodied  men. 
To  enforce  industry  Smith  put  two  rigid  laws  in  force.  One 
was  that  those  who  did  not  work  should  not  eat,  and  the  other 
required  that  every  man  should  labor  six  hours  each  day. 

The  interest  of  England  in  the  settlement  of  America  became 
more  lively,  and  in  1609  a  new  charter  was  granted  to  the  Lon- 
don Company  with  more  extended  limits  and  larger  powers. 
Lord  Delaware  was  appointed  governor,  and  a  fleet  of  nine 
vessels  with  five  hundred  men  were  sent  out  in  command  of 
Sir  Thomas  Gates,  Sir  George  Somers  and  Captain  Newport, 
who  were  to  govern  the  colony  until  Lord  Delaware's  arrival.  The 
emigrant  ships  arrived  safely  on  time,  but  a  severe  storm  jstranded 
the  ship  conveying  Gates,  Somers  and  Newport  near  the  Bermu- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  463 

das,  and  it  was  nine  months  before  they  reached  Jamestown.  Dur- 
ing this  time  the  commissioners  and  their  crew  built  a  small  ves- 
sel in  which  to  reach  Jamestown.  Captain  Smith  had  great  diffi- 
culty in  subjecting  the  rebellious  portion  of  the  new  colonists  to 
obedience  to  the  Jamestown  code,  but  his  firm  spirit  compelled 
them  to  acknowledge  that  he  was  the  ruler  of  the  settlement 
until  his  authority  was  regularly  supplanted.  Soon  after  this 
he  was  injured  by  an  explosion  of  gunpowder  and  was  com- 
pelled to  return  to  England  for  proper  surgical  treatment.  He 
appointed  George  Percy  his  successor,  and  after  an  affectionate 
parting  with  his  old  friends  of  the  colony,  he  left  Virginia  for- 
ever. 

Scarcely  had  he  departed  before  the  great  loss  of  this  superior 
man  was  felt.  He  it  was  that  had  kept  the  Indians  in  check. 
They  liked  and  respected  him,  and  he  stood  up  for  their  rights 
when  the  colonists  stole  their  corn  and  otherwise  ill-treated 
them.  When  it  was  known  to  the  Indians  that  Smith  was 
gone  they  laid  a  plan  to  destroy  the  colonists  at  a  single  blow, 
and  would  have  succeeded  had  it  not  been  for  Pocahontas,  who 
came  one  stormy  night  to  Jamestown  to  warn  the  settlers  and 
thereby  saved  their  lines.  But  indolence,  vice,  sickness  and 
famine  soon  began  to  deplete  the  Colony,  and  in  six  months 
after  the  departure  of  Smith  only  sixty  were  living.  Of  the 
others  who  had  not  died,  thirty  had  captured  a  ship  and  sailed 
to  the  Southern  seas  as  pirates. 

Sir  Thomas  Gates  was  surprised  on  his  arrival  to  find  the 
settlement  in  such  a  deplorable  condition,  and  he  resolved  to 
abandon  it  and  take  the  remaining  colonists  back  to  England 
with  him  ;  but  just  as  they  had  dropped  down  the  river  they 
met  Lord  Delaware  coming,  on  the  10th  day  of  June,  1611, 
with  abundance  of  supplies  and  reinforcements,  and,  with 
renewed  hope,  all  returned  to  Jamestown  the  same  night  and 
began  the  work  of  settlement  upon  enlarged  plans.  Every  man 
was  set  to  work,  new  forts  were  constructed,  houses  built, 
farms  and  gardens  laid  out  and  many  other  improvements 
made.  Lord  Delaware's  administration  was  a  most  excellent 
one,  and  under  it  the  colony  thrived,  both  in  industrious 
habits  and  morals.  Their  reliance  on  God  was  such  that  thev 


464  EARLY  HISTORY   OF    AMERICA 

met  at  the  little  church  every  morning,  and  invoked  His  bless- 
ing before  beginning  the  labors  of  the  day.  But  soon  illness 
compelled  Lord  Delaware  to  return  to  England,  and  the  next 
year  his  successor,  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  arrived  with  six  ships 
and  three  hundred  emigrants.  New  settlements  were  formed 
higher  up  the  river,  and  in  1611  cattle  and  hogs  were  sent  over 
from.  England.  One  great  improvement  made  in  the  condition 
of  the  settlers  was  that  of  giving  to  each  man  a  portion  of 
ground  to  cultivate  for  himself. 

As  a  mark  of  the  ingratitude  of  the  settlers,  Pocahontas,  the 
t'rue  and  faithful  friend  of  Captain  Smith  and  the  early  settlers 
of  Jamestown,  was,  in  1613,  while  visiting  a  neighboring  tribe, 
sold  by  the  chief  to  Captain  Argall  for  a  copper  kettle.  Argall 
was  so  lost  to  gratitude  and  honor  as  to  demand  a  large  ransom 
from  her  father  for  her  release.  Powhatan  indignantly  refused 
to  pay  a  ransom  and  prepared  for  war.  In  the  meantime  John 
Rolfe,  one  of  the  most  exemplary  men  of  the  colony,  won  the 
love  of  Pocahontas  and  offered  his  hand  in  marriage  to  the 
beautiful  young  maiden  of  the  forest.  Powhatan  gladlv  ac- 
cepted Rolfe  as  his  son-in-law,  and  the  marriage  secured  his 
warm  friendship  and  that  of  his  tribe  for  the  whites.  Previous 
to  the  marriage,  Pocahontas  renounced  the  religion  of  her  race 
and  was  baptized  in  the  faith  of  Christ,  after  which  the 
nuptials  were  performed  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rolfe  settled  down  to  happy 
domestic  life  in  the  colony.  At  the  end  of  three  years  Rolfe 
took  his  wife  to  England,  where  apartments  in  the  Royal 
Palace  were  allotted  to  her,  and  she  was  visited  and  caressed 
by  the  noblest  ladies  in  the  land.  Among  those  who  came  to 
pay  his  respects  to  her  was  her  old  friend,  Captain  Smith, 
whom  she  supposed  dead,  and  his  unexpected  appearance  so 
suddenly  brought  up  the  old  associations  that  she  was  over- 
come with  emotion  and  shed  tears  of  mingled  gladness  and 
sorrow.  It  is  sad  to  contemplate  that  she  never  again  saw  her 
native  America,  for  just  as  she  was  preparing  to  return  with  her 
husband  and  infant  son  she  was  suddenly  taken  ill  and  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  Her  son  Thomas  was  afterward 
highly  educated  and  became  a  prominent  man,  and  from  him 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF   AMERICA.  465 

some  of  the  leading  families  of  Virginia  are  descended.  Peace 
.to  the  memory  of  the  gentle  Pocahontas  ! 

In  1614  the  colonists  appealed  to  Parliament  for  aid,  but 
this  being  refused,  they  had  to  rely  upon  tobacco  for  their 
revenue,  and  it  was  so  universally  cultivated  that  the  streets  of 
Jamestown  were  planted  with  it.  The  crop  soon  became  a 
valuable  commodity  for  export. 

At  the  end  of  two  years'  rule  Dale  returned  to  England,  leav- 
ing George  Yeardley  as  Deputy  Governor,  and  his  administra- 
tion was  marked  by  many  improvements.  But  the  designing 
Argall  managed  to  supersede  him  until  his  vices  and  villainies 
caused  his  dismissal  by  the  company  and  the  restoration  of 
Yeardley  as  Governor,  and  once  more  the  colony  prospered. 

At  this  time,  although  the  colony  had  existed  for  twelve 
years,  there  had  been  but  few  women  residing  in  the  settle- 
ment. But  it  became  evident  that  for  the  permanency  of  the 
settlers  wives  should  be  brought  over  to  them  from  England, 
and  after  twelve  hundred  more  men  came  over,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  young,  pretty  and  respectable  women  were  sent  to 
the  colony  to  become  wives  of  the  settlers,  each  husband 
paying  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  of  tobacco  for  the  expenses  of  the  voyage  of 
the  wife.  It  was  during  Yeardley's  administration  that 
the  House  of  Burgesses  was  established  and  convened  at 
Jamestown,  being  the  first  Colonial  Assembly  in  America. 
As  an  evidence  of  their  firm  reliance  upon  God,  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  was  passed  at  its  organization  :  "  For- 
asmuche  as  man's  affaires  doe  little  prosper  when  God's  service 
is  neglected,  we  invite  Mr.  Bucke,  the  minister,  to  open  our 
sessions  by  prayer— that  it  would  please  God  to  sanctifie  all 
our  proceedinges  to  His  owne  glory  and  the  good  of  this  plan- 
tation." The  laws  passed  by  this  legislative  body  were  most 
excellent  for  the  time.  Idlers  were  to  be  sold  to  a  master  until 
they  showed  signs  of  reformation  ;  playing  of  cards,  dice  and 
similar  games  was  prohibited  ;  so  were  drunkenness  and  other 
vices.  Provisions  were  made  for  the  erection,  of  a  university 
and  college,  both  for  the  children  of  the  settlers  and  any 
acceptable  and  promising  children  of  the  natives.  The  House 


466  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

of  Burgesses  strictly  adhered  to  the  principle  that  the  people 
should  have  a  voice  in  making  their  own  laws,  and  the  London 
Company  granted  a  written  constitution  to  the  colonists  under 
which  the  people  could  have  a  legislative  assembly  of  their 
own  choice.  This  constitutional  freedom  was  maintained  for 
the  colony  until  the  London  Company  dissolved,  when  the 
charter  was  taken  away  by  the  King. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

LANDING  OF  THE  PILGRIMS. 

In  1602  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  in  seeking  for  a  shorter  route 
to  America,  sailed  directly  across,  and  his  effort  was  crowned 
by  success  in  seven  weeks,  by  reaching  the  New  England  coast 
in  the  vicinity  of  Nahant,  and  coasting  further  south  he  dis- 
covered Cape  Cod,  which  he  named  after  the  immense  schools 
of  fish  he  found  there.  He  also  discovered  Martha's  Vineyard 
and  other  islands  near  by.  At  the  time  he  saw  the  country,  in 
the  early  summer,  it  presented  a  charming  appearance,  and  he 
gave  such  a  glowing  description  of  its  islands  and  bays,  and 
lakes  and  beautiful  forests  and  flowers  that  England's  attention 
was  directed  to  that  portion  of  the  coast. 

The  Plymouth  Company,  to  which  King  James  granted  the 
country  lying  between  the  41st  and  45th  parallels  of  north  lat- 
itude, were  anxious  to  form  a  settlement  and  soon  attempted 
to  colonize  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec  in  Maine,  but  the 
winter  proved  so  severe  that  they  gladly  returned  to  England 
in  the  spring.  Then  Captain  John  Smith,  who  had  done  so 
much  for  the  Virginia  colony  as  the  illustrious  founder  of 
Jamestown,  explored  the  coast  from  Penobscot  to  Cape  Cod, 
and  made  a  map  of  the  country,  which  included  many  of  the 
prominent  features.  This  territory  he  named  New  England. 
Smith  returned  to  England  in  1614.  But  scarcely  was  he  away 
before  Captain  Hunt,  one  of  his  assistants,  enticed  an  Indian 
chief  named  Squanto,  with  about  thirty  of  his  tribe,  on  board  the 
ships  and  carried -them  away  to  Spain,  where  he  sold  thorn  into 
slavery.  There  the  chief  and  a  few  of  the  others  were  pur- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  467 

chased  by  some  monks  who  Christianized  them  and  sent  them 
back  as  missionaries  to  the  Indian  tribes. 

In  1620  King  James  gave  a  grant  of  all  the  land  lying  be- 
tween 40  and  48  degrees  north  latitude  and  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific  to  a  commercial  company  with  many  exclusive 
privileges.  So  great  a  monopoly  did  this  bestow  upon  the  com- 
pany that  Parliament  took  up  the  subject  in  warm  debate,  and 
while  all  parties  concerned  were  wrangling  over  the  subject,  a 
permanent  settlement  in  New  England  was  made  by  the  Puri- 
tans, who  are  familiar  and  dear  to  the  American  heart  as  the 
"Pilgrim  Fathers." 

The  Puritans  were  a  religious  sect  of  England  who  had 
existed  since  1550.  Their  prominent  traits  of  character  were 
an  uncompromising  abstinence  from  gayety  and  amusements, 
firm  belief  in  the  practice  of  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  and  a 
fervid  love  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  Having  been  driven 
from  England  by  persecution,  because  they  would  not  conform 
to  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England,  they  took  refuge  in 
Holland  in  1608.  There  they  were  permitted  to  live  and  wor- 
ship God  as  they  chose,  but  the  national  disregard  for  the 
Sabbath  and  the  demoralizing  influences  surrounding  their 
children  at  last  determined  them  to  emigrate  to  the  wilderness 
of  America.  Reports  of  the  Virginia  settlement  had  reached 
them,  and  they  made  application  to  the  London  Company  to 
become  colonists  on  their  land.  In  their  petition  they  made 
the  following  declaration  of  their  principles :  "  We  verily 
believe  that  God  is  with  us,  and  will  prosper  us  in  our  en- 
deavors. We  are  weaned  from  our  mother  country,  and  have 
learned  patience  in  a  hard  and  strange  land.  We  are  indus- 
trious and  frugal ;  we  are  bound  together  by  a  social  bond  of 
the  Lord,  whereof  we  make  great  conscience,  holding  our- 
selves to  each  other's  good.  We  do  not  wish  ourselves  home 
again  ;  we  have  nothing  to  hope  from  England  or  Holland  ; 
we  are  men  who  will  not  be  easily  discouraged." 

Some  objection  to  their  admission  to  the  colony  being  raised 
by  members  of  the  company,  their  consent  was  not  given  to 
the  Puritans  to  emigrate  to  Virginia.  One  great  difficulty  in 
the  way  was  their  extreme  poverty.  In  their  persecutions  and 


468 


EARLY  HISTOEY  OF  AMERICA 


exile  for  conscience'  sake  they  had  become  so  poor  that  they 
could  supply  little  or  no  means  toward  the  expedition.  After 
their  failure  to  arrange  with  the  London  Company ,  a  number  of 
London  merchants  formed  a  company  to  advance  the  means 
for  establishing  the  colony  on  condition  that  each  emigrant 
should  labor  seven  years  to  make  up  the  amount  of  his  stock 


THE  MAYFLOWER. 


in  the  company  against  the  sum  of  ten  pounds  paid  in  by  each 
one  of  the  merchants. 

Two  vessels,  the  Mayflower  and  Speedwell,  were  secured  for 
the  voyage,  and  all  the  younger  and  more  vigorous  of  the  Puri- 
tan congregation  in  Holland  embarked  on  the  vessels  at  Delft 
Haven  in  charge  of  William  Brewster.  At  the  parting  their 
venerable  pastor,  John  Robinson,  who  remained  in  charge  of 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF   AMERICA.  469 

those  still  left  in  Holland,  delivered  to  the  emigrants  an  affec- 
tionate farewell  in  which  he  said  :  ''I  charge  you  before  God 
and  His  holy  angels,  that  you  follow  me  no  further  than  you 
have  seen  me  follow  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  If  God  reveal  any- 
thing to  you,  be  ready  to  receive  ;  for  I  am  verily  persuaded  the 
Lord  has  more  truth  yet  to  break  out  of  His  Holy  Word.  I 
beseech  you  remember  it  is  an  article  of  your  church  covenant 
that  you  be  ready  to  receive  whatever  truth  shall  be  made 
known  to  you  from  the  written  Word  of  God.  Take  heed  what 
you  receive  as  truth ;  examine  it,  consider  it,  and  compare  it 
with  other  scriptures  of  truth  before  yoii  receive  it ;  the  Chris- 
tian world  has  not  yet  come  to  the  perfection  of  knowledge.' 

The  night  before  their  departure  was  passed  in  prayer  and 
exhortations  on  shore,  in  company  of  the  venerable  pastor  and 
the  brethren  who  came  with  him  from  Leyden,  and  the  next 
morning,  after  a  prayer  and  benediction  from  Robinson,  the 
Pilgrims  went  on  board  the  ships  and  embarked  for  the  New 
World.  After  stopping  at  Southampton  and  again  sailing,  it 
was  discovered  that  the  Speedwell  was  unseaworthy,  and  her 
captain  declaring  that  he  could  not  cross  the  ocean  with  her, 
both  ships  put  back  to  Plymouth,  where  they  left  the  Speed- 
well and  all  the  emigrants  who  could  not  go  in  the  Mayflower. 
Again  the  Mayflower  set  sail  with  her  devoted  band  of  one 
hundred  Pilgrims,  and  buffeting  the  waves  with  her  precious 
freight,  she  reached  the  icy  shores  of  a  rock-bound  winter 
coast. 

The  Pilgrims  had  intended  settling  on  the  neutral  territory 
near  the  Hudson  River,  but  after  sixty-three  days  they  found 
themselves  on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts,  where  they  made  a 
landing  in  a  rocky  harbor  which  they  named  Plymouth  after 
the  last  port  from  which  they  had  sailed  in  the  Old  World. 
The  landing  was  made  on  Plymouth  Rock,-  on  the  21st  day  of 
December,  1620,  and  immediately  they  began  to  build  the  first 
town  in  New  England. 

Among  the  prominent  men  of  the  colony  were  William 
Brewster,  the  ruling  elder  ;  John  Carver,  William  Bradford, 
Edward  Winslow  and  Miles  Standish.  John  Carver  was  elected 
governor  and  Miles  Standish,  the  intrepid  soldier,  who  had 


470 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 


fought  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  army  sent  to  aid  the  Dutch  aaainst 
the  Spaniards,  was  selected  as  the  captain  of  the  colony. 
The  sufferings  of  the  colonists  began  from  the  very  day  of 


PLYMOUTH  ROCK. 

their  landing,  but  they  bravely  bore  them  without  a  murmur, 
and  maintained  a  firm  trust  in  God.  It  was  slow,  hard  work 
to  fell  and  hew  the  trees  for  building  their  houses,  but  they 


EARLY   HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  471 

persevered  even  when  their  strength  failed  them.  During  the 
month  of  December  six  of  the  colonists  were  taken  sick,  and 
before  the  winter  ended  over  forty  of  them  had  been  laid  in 
their  graves.  Bradford  and  Winslow  lost  their  wives,  and 
Miles  Standish  also  lost  his  young  bride,  Rose  Standish,  while 
among  the  men  Carver,  the  governor,  lost  his  son;  then  he  died, 
and  was  soon  followed  by  his  wife,  all  of  whom  were  buried 
near  Plymouth  Rock.  So  discouraging  was  their  condition 
that  at  one  time  only  seven  of  the  colony  -were  not  confined  to 
sick  be  .is. 

But  with  all  their  sad  and  destitute  condition  not  one  of 
them  desired  to  return  on  the  Mayflower  when  she  set  sail  for 
England.  The  blessings  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  were  too 
dear  to  them  in  the  land  of  their  adoption  to  be  abandoned 
while  life  lasted,  and  even  death  would  be  sweet  if  at  so  dear 
a  cost  they  could  leave  the  birthright  of  freedom  and  constitu- 
tional government  to  their  children  and  to  unborn  ages. 

As  spring  advanced  the  health  and  prospects  of  the  colonists 
improved,  and  during  the  summer  they  raised  a  scanty  supply 
of  food,  but  in  the  fall  a  new  company  of  emigrants  came, 
almost  without  provisions,  and  there  was  great  danger  of 
famine.  For  many  months  the  Indians  had  never  entered  the 
settlement,  but  when  seen  near  by  and  approached  had 
always  fled,  until  one  day  a  friendly  Indian  named 
Samoset,  of  the  Wampanoags,  entered  the  little  vil- 
lage, exclaiming  in  English,  "  Welcome,  Englishmen  ! 
Welcome,  Englishmen!"  It  was  a  surprise  to  the  little 
colony  to  hear  him  speak  in  their  native  tongue.  He  had 
learned  a  few  English  words  from  previous  navigators  and  the 
fishermen  on  the  Penobscot.  Samoset  told  the  colonists  that 
they  could  occupy  the  settlement,  as  a  pestilence  had  destroyed 
the  former  owners  of  the  land.  In  a  few  days  Samoset  returned 
with  Squanto,  who  was  formerly  kidnapped  and  taken  to  Spain 
as  a  slave,  where  he  was  ransomed  by  the  monks  and  educated 
for  a  missionary,  and  returned  to  his  native  land.  Squanto  in- 
formed the  Pilgrims  that  Massasoit,  the  chief  of  the  Wampa- 
noags, wanted  an  interview  with  them.  In  a  few  days  Mas- 
sasoit, with  a  number  of  his  tribe,  visited  Plymouth,  and 


472  EARLY   HISTOKY   OF  AMERICA 

Squanto  acted  as  interpreter,  and  by  his  influence 
a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Pilgrims,  by  which  they  bound 
themselves  to  defend  each  other  from  the  attacks  of  enemies. 
This  treaty  was  observed  for  over  fifty  years,  until  King  Philip's 
war  arrayed  the  Indians  against  the  whites.  This  treaty 
created  a  warm  friendship  between  the  colonists  and  the  Wam- 
panoags,  and  their  good  opinion  of  the  Pilgrims  was  greatly 
improved  by  the  latter  offering  to  pay  for  a  basket  of  corn  they 
found  hidden  when  they  first  landed. 

Squanto  proved  himself  a  noble  friend  and  a  blessing  to  the 
colony.  He  understood  agriculture  on  the  sterile  soil  of  New 
England,  and  taught  the  colonists  how  to  make  the  corn  grow 
by  putting  fish  in  each  hill,  and  he  also  showed  them  where  to 
find  the  fish.  He  was  their  interpreter  and  guide,  and,  best  of 
all,  he  was  a  convert  to  the  Christian  religion.  By  his  instruc- 
tions corn  soon  became  so  plentiful  that  the  colonists  began  to 
exchange  with  the  Indians  for  furs,  which  they  could  easily 
sell  to  England  for  merchandise. 

The  Narragansetts,  who  lived  on  the  shores  of  Narragansett 
Bay,  were  enemies  of  the  Wampanoags,  and  they  did  not  like 
the  arrival  of  the  Pilgrims.  Canonicus,  to  show  his  hostility 
to  the  whites,  sent  to  Plymouth  a  bundle  of  arrows  wrapped  in 
the  skin,  of  a  rattlesnake.  This  skin  Governor  Bradford  sent 
back  filled  with  powder  and  shot.  This  the  superstitious 
Indians  viewed  with  great  awe,  and,  after  sending  it  from 
tribe  to  tribe  among  their  medicine  men,  they  returned  it  to 
Plymouth  and  decided  not  to  molest  the  whites  ;  but,,  for  the 
sake  of  precaution,  the  colonists  built  a  palisade  around  their 
settlement  a  mile  in  circuit. 

In  all  their  transactions  with  the  Indians  the  Pilgrims  treated 
them  with  justice  and  kindness,  and  when  they  finally  became 
involved  in  difficulties  with  them  it  was  through  no  fault  of 
their  own,  but  through  the  evil  actions  of  others.  A  merchant 
of  London,  named  Weston,  wishing  to  monopolize  the  fur 
trade  with  the  Indians,  obtained  a  charter  for  land  near  Wey- 
mouth,  and  sent  over  a  company  of  men.  They  aroused  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians  by  stealing  their  corn  and  otherwise  ill- 
treating  them.  The  Indians  not  recognizing  the  difference  be- 


EARLY    HISTORY   OF  AMERICA.  473 

tween  the  noble  justice  of  the  Pilgrims  and  the  roguery 
of  Weston's  men,  planned  to  destroy  all  the  white  settlers  in 
a  sudden  attack  upon  them.  At  this  time,  Massasoit  being 
dangerously  sick,  Governor  Winslow  visited  him  and  gave  him 
medicine  which  saved  his  life,  and  to  reward  him  Massasoife 
revealed  the  plot  to  Winslow.  This  greatly  frightened  the  Pil- 
grims, and  Captain  Standish,  with  a  few  brave  men,  hastened 
to  Weymouth  to  apprise  the  settlement  of  the  intended  attack, 
and  to  assist  them  to  repel  it.  The  result  was  that  Captain 
Standish  took  the  Indians  by  surprise,  and  killed  several  of 
their  best  warriors,  including  the  chief  who  had  planned  the 
intended  massacre,  and  his  head  was  brought  back  to  Plymouth 
on  a  pole  by  Standish.  News  of  the  fight  having  reached  the 
venerable  pastor,  Robinson,  who  was  still  in  Leyden,  he  sor- 
rowfully wrote  to  the  colonists  :  ' '  Oh,  how  happy  a  thing  had 
it  been,  had  you  converted  some  before  killing  any."  This 
saved  the  Plymouth  colony  from  further  danger,  for  the 
Indians  were  glad  to  seek  peace  ;  and  the  Weymouth  colony 
soon  returning  to  England,  the  Indians  had  no  further  griev- 
ance to  complain  of. 

In  the  fall  of  1628  was  celebrated  the  first  Thanksgiving  Day 
in  America.  The  crops  had  been  gathered  in  and  Governor 
Bradford  set  apart  a  day  for  a  feast  and  thanksgiving  to  God. 
On  the  day  before,  men  were  sent  out  to  secure  game  for  the 
great  feast,  and  for  the  first  time  they  met  in  celebration  of 
that  day  which  has  become  one  of  our  national  anniversaries. 

The  colonists  were  visited  during  the  year  1622  by  thirty-five 
vessels  on  trading  voyages  and  the  Pilgrims  purchased  small 
supplies  of  provisions  and  other  necessities  at  extortionate 
prices.  The  colony  was  so  poor  and  with  such  imperfect  agri- 
cultural implements,  and  no  domestic  cattle  or  boats  for  fishing, 
that  they  found  it  impossible  at  that  time  to  supply  themselves 
with  food  by  their  labor.  Until  that  time  they  had  labored  in 
common,  but  it  being  recognized  that  individual  labor  and 
profits  offer  the  greatest  incentive  to  action,  there  was  a  divis- 
ion of  the  land  made  in  1624,  and  each  colonist  receiving  a 
small  tract,  after  that  they  had  corn  in  abundance  and  to  sell. 

The  merchant  stockholders  in  London  became  dissatisfied 


474  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

with  their  share  of  the  profits  from  the  labors  <>f  the  colony, 
and  to  prove  their  displeasure  they  would  not  permit  the 
remainder  of  the  Puritans  in  Holland,  with  their  pastor,  Robin- 
son, to  go  to  the  Plymouth  colony.  They  also  endeavored  to 
take  from  them  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indians,  and,  not  content 
with  interfering  in  their  temporal  affairs,  even  attempted  to 
force  their  religious  opinions  by  sending  them  as  a  pastor  a 
clergyman,  named  Lyford,  who  held  to  the  faith  of  the  Church 
of  England,  but  who  was  soon  expelled  from  the  colony  for  im- 
morality. 

The  first  government  of  the  colony  was  conducted  by  all  the 
members  of  it,  who  assembled  in  town  meeting  and  decided  all 
questions  that  arose,  but  in  1639  their  numbers  had  so  increased 
that  a  representative  system  was  organized,  consisting  of  a 
governor  and  a  council  of  five,  who  made  all  the  laws  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  people.  The  colony  was  without  a 
charter  for  ten  years  before  they  received  a  title  to  the  land 
from  the  company  in  London. 

It  was  through  such  hardships  and  difficulties  as  these  that 
the  pioneers  of  religious  and  civil  liberty  established  the  founda- 
tions of  this  great  government,  and  of  which  Governor  Brad- 
ford spoke  of  the  progress  in  his  day  in  the  following  beautiful 
words  :  ' '  Out  of  small  beginnings  great  things  have  been  pro- 
duced by  His  hand  that  made  all  things  out  of  nothing  ;  and  as 
one  small  candle  will  light  a  thousand,  so  the  light  here  kindled 
hath  shone  to  many  ;  yea  to  our  whole  nation." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  COLONY   OP  MASSACHUSETTS   BAY. 

The  increasing  prosperity  of  the  Plymouth  colony  aroused 
great  interest  among  the  Puritans,  who  were  still  struggling 
against  persecution  in  the  mother  country,  and  other  compa- 
nies began  to  seek  an  asylum  in  the  land  of  peace  and  quiet 
whatever  might  be  its  toils  and  deprivations. 

The  old  London  Company  had  been  reorganized  and  had 
become  the  Council  of  Plymouth,  and  it  was  granting  charters 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  475 

to  whoever  would  settle  the  laud,  and,  having  given  a  Dor- 
chester company  a  grant  of  land  bordering  on  Massachusetts 
Bay,  the  company  sent  out  a  colony  of  one  hundred  men  in 
1628,  under  the  management  of  John  Endicott.  a  man  of  noble 
character  and  unquestioned  integrity.  They  landed  at  a  place 
whose  Indian  name  was  Naumkeag,  which  they  changed  to 
Salem,  and  made  it  a  permanent  settlement  which  included  in 
its  ranks  of  noble  pioneers  Winthrop,  Saltonstall,  Simon  Brad- 
street,  Thomas  Dudley,  William  Coddington,  Bellingham  and 
others  whose  illustrious  names  have  come  down  in  their 
posterity  to  the  present  time.  The  charter  of  the  colony  was  a 
very  liberal  one.  and  permitted  the  settlers  to  make  their  own 
laws  without  royal  signature. 

Soon  afterward  another  colony  of  about  two  hundred 
arrived,  with  the  Rev.  Francis  Higginson  as  their  pastor,  who 
on  leaving  England  stood  on  the  vessel's  deck  and  exclaimed : 
"Farewell,  England!  Farewell,  all  Christian  friends!  We 
separate  not  from  the  Church,  but  from  its  corruptions.  We 
go  to  spread  the  Gospel  in  America."  On  their  arrival  part 
remained  at  Salem,  while  the  remainder  founded  Charlestown. 
Winter  soon  came,  and,  as  usual,  brought  sickness  and  priva- 
tion, and  in  less  than  a  year  half  of  the  colonists  had  died, 
including  the  minister,  Higginson. 

When  the  provisions  of  the  charter  were  examined  into  it 
was  found  to  grant  no  rights  to  the  colonists,  but  left  them  to 
the  arbitrary  rule  of  the  English  company.  One  clause,  how- 
ever, afforded  an  opportunity  to  circumvent  the  "  divine  right 
of  kings" — and  corporations.  The  charter  permitted  the  Coun- 
cil to  select  their  own  place  of  meeting,  and  they  shrewdly 
decided  to  meet  in  the  colony,  thus  virtually  transferring  the 
government  to  America  and  making  the  colony  independent 
of  English  rule. 

The  officers  of  the  Council  were  a  governor,  deputy  governor 
and  eighteen  assistants.  John  Winthrop  was  elected  governor 
and  Thomas  Dudley  deputy  governor. 

In  1630  they  set  sail  for  America  with  fifteen  hundred  emi- 
grants in  seventeen  ships,  and  arriving  in  midsummer,  began 


476  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

settlements  at  Charlestown,  Newtown,  Dorchester,  Watertown. 
and  Shawmut,  the  latter  being  the  peninsula  afterward  called 
Boston.  It  was  soon  found  that  the  system  of  holding  office 
and  electing  officers  was  not  a  favorable  one  to  the  rights  and 
interests  of  the  settlers.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  charter 
the  assistants  could  hold  office  for  life  if  they  desired,  beside 
exercising  the  sole  privilege  of  electing  the  officers.  In  revis- 
ing the  tenure  of  office  clause  it  was  decided  that  the  assist- 
ants or  magistrates  should  be  elected  annually,  and  to  extend 
the  right  of  voting  to  freemen  of  the  colony,  the  general  court 
passed  a  law  that  no  one  could  vote  who  was  not  a  member  of 
a  church.  This  created  another  disturbance  and  resulted 
finally  in  every  freeman  having  the  right  to  vote.  After  this 
the  colony  prospered  and  became  firmly  established.  The 
greater  safety  of  the  settlements  was  secured  by  building  a 
fort  at  Boston,  and  for  better  communication  a  ferry  was 
established  between  the  settlements  of  Boston  and  Charles- 
town. 

During  this  time  the  friendship  and  good  will  of  the  Indians 
had  been  secured  by  honest  and  fair  dealings  with  the  natives, 
and  some  of  the  weaker  tribes  sought  the  protection  of  the  col- 
onies. The  different  colonies  also  began  to  be  very  sociable 
toward  each  other,  and  visits  were  exchanged  not  only  as  far 
away  as  to  the  Plymouth  settlement,  but  also  to  the  Manhat- 
tan settlement  of  the  Dutch  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  River. 

In  1635',  over  three  thousand  colonists  came  from  England, 
among  whom  were  the  Rev.  Hugh  Peters  and  a  young  man 
named  Harry  Vane,  who  was  soon  after  elected  governor  in 
place  of  Winthrop. 

Human  nature  soon  asserted  itself  in  the  colony  in  matters 
of  arbitrary  religious  proscription.  The  Puritans,  themselves 
fleeing  from  religious  persecution,  had  failed  to  realize  that  of 
all  Christian  virtues  the  greatest  is  charity,  and  while  secur- 
ing religious  liberty  for  themselves  they  were  unwilling  to 
grant  it  to  others,  but  desired  to  enforce  upon  all  their  own 
religious  doctrines  and  an  attendance  upon  their  churches. 
Among  those  who  had  come  over  in  1631  and  settled  at  Salem 
was  a  young  clergyman  named  Roger  Williams,  who  taught 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  477 

that  every  man  had  a  right  to  worship  God  as  his  conscience 
dictated,  and  that  bigotry  and  persecution  were  the  same  in  the 
New  World  as  in  the  Old.  He  soon,  also,  came  in  conflict  with 
the  magistrates  by  claiming  that  they  should  not  be  obeyed 
by  the  people,  and  that  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  colony 
should  not  be  taken.  He  also  denounced  the  law  compelling 
every  one  to  attend  church  as  against  conscience,  and  he 
also  held  that  the  expenses  of  the  church  should  be  borne 
by  its  members  and  not  by  the  entire  colony.  These  doctrines 
were  looked  upon  by  the  Puritan  leaders  as  grave  heresies,  and 
Roger  Williams  was  publicly  censured.  The  Salem  people 
then  called  him  to  be  their  pastor,  but  the  Boston  colony  at- 
tempted by  withholding  land  from  them  and  in  other  ways  to 
induce  them  to  repudiate  Williams  and  his  doctrines.  Salem, 
however,  stood  up  for  him  until  the  town  was  disfranchised  by 
the  next  General  Court,  and  admonished  against  the  pains 
and  penalties  of  sedition.  These  measures  had  the  desired 
effect  upon  Salem,  and  she  returned  to  her  Puritanic  al- 
legiance, while  the  court  pronounced  the  decree  of  ban- 
ishment against  Roger  Williams.  Upon  this  arbitrary  ac- 
tion Williams  became  a  wanderer,  and  sought  for  conscience' 
sake  some  other  part  of  the  New  World  where  religious  liberty 
could  be  enjoyed  with  none  to  molest  or  make  him  afraid. 
For  fourteen  weeks  he  wandered  among  the  snows  of  the  for- 
est and  sought  the  hospitality  of  friendly  Indians,  while  at 
other  times  his  lodging  was  nothing  better  than  a  hollow  tree 
or  cave.  At  last  he  reached  the  wigwam  of  Massasoit,  where 
he  was  kindly  received  and  remained  until  summer.  He  had 
decided  upon  forming  a  settlement  at  Seekonk,  on  the  Paw- 
tucket  River,  but  that  being  within  the  limit  of  the  Plym- 
outh colony,  Governor  Winslow  admonished  him  to  settle 
elsewhere  and  prevent  further  trouble.  Williams  then  re- 
ceived from  the  Narragansetts  a  tract  of  land  on  the  bay 
Of  that  name,  and  with  five  companions  he  began  a  settle- 
ment at  a  place  where  he  found  a  spring  of  water.  This 
settlement  he  called  Providence,  to  commemorate  the  goodness 
of  God.  This  was  the  first  settlement  in  Rhode  Island,  and 
Williams  and  Ms  five  companions  were  soon  joined  by  other 


478  EARLY  HISTORY   OF   AMERICA. 

friends  from  Salem  and  Boston,  with  whom  he  divided  the 
land.  The  settlement  became  popular  and  rapidly  increased 
because  of  the  perfect  freedom  of  action  and  belief  accorded  to 
each  one.  It  was  a  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people 
and  for  the  people,  after  Roger  Williams'  own  heart. 

During  the  term  of  Governor  Vane's  administration  in  Boston 
other  religious  dissensions  sprang  up,  among  which  it  may  be 
said  that  the  first  "  woman's  rights"  doctrines  in  America  were 
promulgated  by  Ann  Hutchinson,  who  gathered  around  her 
certain  adherents  to  the  doctrine  that  if  women  were  not 
allowed  to  have  a  voice  in  religious  meeting  they  certainly  had 
the  right  to  hold  meetings  of  then*  own  and  advance  their  own 
ideas  on  theological  questions.  In  these  meetings  they  cen- 
sured the  Puritan  clergy  and  advanced  religious  theories  that 
were  denounced  as  greater  heresies  than  those  of  Roger  Will- 
iams. Governor  Vane  and  many  others  espoused  Mrs.  Hutch- 
inson's  cause,  while  Winthrop,  the  ministers  and  body  of  the 
Puritan  laity  vigorously  opposed  the  new  departure  in  religion. 
The  Hutchinson  party  asserted  that  they  worked  under  a  "cov- 
enant of  grace."  Her  opponents  declared  that  she  was  a  witch. 

The  strength  of  the  Hutchinson  party  was  broken  by  the 
election  of  Winthrop  as  governor  and  the  return  of  Vane  to 
England,  after  which  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  having  been  first 
admonished,  was  banished  from  the  colony,  together  with  her 
brother-in-law,  John  Wheelwright,  and  a  few  others,  who  left 
the  colony  in  1638  and  settled  in  Aquidneck  or  Aquiday  Island 
in  Narragansett  Bay.  Roger  Williams  had  invited  the  exiles 
to  settle  in  his  colony  or  near  by,  and  it  was  through  his 
influence  that  the  island  was  secured  from  Miantonomoh,  the 
future  successor  of  Canonicus,  chief  of  the  Narragansetts.  The 
island  was  renamed  the  Isle  of  Rhodes  and  William  Coddington 
was  elected  ruler  of  the  colony. 

In  the  year  1639  Newport  was  founded  hear  the  site  of  an  old 
stone  tower  of  great  antiquity,  the  origin  of  which  was  even 
unknown  to  the  Indians.  For  many  years  the  Rhode  Island 
colony  was  independent  of  the  Roger  Williams  settlement  at 
Providence,  but  in  1644  they  received  a  charter  and  were  united 
under  the  name  of  the  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  479 

After  a  few  years  Mrs.  Hutchinson  and  her  family  moved 
west  beyond  New  Haven,  where  they  were  finally  taken  captive 
and  murdered  by  the  Indians. 


CHAPTER  X. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  CONNECTICUT  AND  NEW   HAMPSHIRE. 

In  1614  the  Dutch  from  Manhattan  discovered  the  Connecti- 
cut River,  and  erected  on  the  site  of  Hartford  a  trading  post 
which  they  fortified,  and  for  a  time  held  and  claimed  possession 
of  the  country,  but  incurring  the  hostility  of  the  Indians,  they 
were  forced  to  abandon  it  and  lose  the  Indian  trade?  after  hav- 
ing failed  in  inducing  the  Pilgrims  to  leave  the  Plymouth 
colony  and  form  a  settlement  in  common  with  them  in  the 
Connecticut  Valley.  Governor  Winslow,  however,  explored 
the  region,  and  its  fertility  having  been  favorably  reported  in 
England,  the  Council  of  Plymouth  gave  a  grant  of  Connecticut 
to  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  who  transferred  it  to  Lord  Say,  Lord 
Brooke  and  others.  This  grant  extended  from  the  Narragansett 
River  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  When  the  Dutch  learned  of  the 
intention  of  the  English  to  settle  the  country,  they  purchased 
of  the  Indians  all  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Hartford  and 
mounted  cannon  on  their  fort  to  prevent  the  English  from 
ascending  the  river,  but  William  Howe,  with  a  company  of 
settlers  from  Plymouth,  proceeded  up  the  Connecticut  in  a  sloop 
without  any  regard  to  the  threat  of  the  Dutch,  and  began  a 
settlement  at  Windsor. 

In  the  autumn  of  1635  a  company  of  sixty  persons  from  the 
Plymouth  colony  made  the  journey  by  land  through  great 
labor  and  difficulties,  and  arrived  to  find  the  river  frozen  by  the 
approach  of  an  early  winter.  This  prevented  the  sloop  with 
their  provisions  and  household  furniture  from  reaching  them; 
and  losing  their  cattle  from  cold  and  starvation,  the  settlers 
were  themselves  reduced  to  corn  and  acorns  to  prevent  them- 
selves from  perishing. 

During  the  same  year  the  Reverend  Thomas  Hooker  with 
three  thousand  emigrants  arrived  in  Boston  from  England,  at 


480  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

a  time  when  the  colonists  were  still  agitating  the  Williams  con- 
troversy. Hooker,  who  had  been  silenced  from  preaching  in 
England  as  a  Nonconformist,  was  not  pleased  with  the  religious 
dissension  in  Boston,  and  he,  with  John  Haynes  and  a  number 
of  others,  determined  to  settle  in  Connecticut.  In  the  spring 
they  set  out  with  about  one  hundred  persons  for  the  fertile 
Connecticut  Valley  and  toiled  through  the  pathless  wilderness 
by  the  aid  of  a  compass,  while  they  drove  their  cattle  before 
them  and  bore  heavy  loads  upon  their  shoulders.  Thus  they 
finally  reached  the  locality  of  Hartford,  where  they  purchased 
lands  from  the  Indians  and  began  a  settlement. 

It  was  not  long  before  difficulties  with  the  Indians  arose  and 
the  settlements  were  in  danger  of  destruction.  The  fertile  val- 
ley of  the  Connecticut  was  more  populous  with  Indians  than 
the  locality  of  the  other  settlements.  Among  the  most  power- 
ful tribes  were  the  Pequods,whose  warriors  numbered  over  two 
thousand,  besides  having  a  number  of  smaller  tribes  as  allies. 
The  Pequods  inhabited  the  southeastern  portion  of  Connecticut, 
stretching  from  the  shores  of  Long  Island  Sound  along  the  bank 
of  the  lower  Connecticut.  This  warlike  tribe  would  doubtless 
have  destroyed  the  settlements  could  they  have  incited  the  Mo- 
hegans  and  Narragansetts  to  warfare  against  the  whites,  but 
these  two  tribes,  who  were  enemies  of  the  Pequods,  were 
friends  of  the  colonists.  The  Pequods  had  some  years  before 
murdered  a  trader  named  Stone,  and  at  the  time  of  their  threat- 
ened war  with  the  whites,  Captain  Oldham  and  his  crew  were 
murdered  near  Block  Island  while  they  were  on  an  exploring 
expedition  to  the  Connecticut  River.  As  soon  as  the 
news  of  the  unprovoked  murder  reached  Boston,  Cap- 
tain John  Endicott  was  sent  with  a  force  to  punish 
the  murderers.  Finding  the  island  abandoned  by  the  natives, 
Endicott  destroyed  their  village  and  crops,  after  which  lie 
crossed  to  the  main  land  to  demand  satisfaction  of  the  Pequods 
for  the  murder  of  Stone,  and  on  the  refusal  of  the  Indians  to 
deliver  up  the  two  warriors  who  had  killed  him,  Endicott 
burned  two  of  their  villages  and  laid  waste  a  part  of  their 
country.  This  aroused  the  revengeful  spirit  of  the  Pequods,  and 
they  soon  visited  all  the  wiles  and  cruelties  of  Indian  warfare 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  481 

upon  the  settlements.  Lone  houses  were  stealthily  approached 
and  burned  while  the  defenseless  inmates  were  killed  and 
scalped ;  men  were  shot  down  in  the  fields  and  the  helpless 
women  and  children  were  brained  at  their  firesides.  The 
greatest  alarm  soon  seized  upon  the  Connecticut  settlers  and 
they  hurriedly  called  upon  Massachusetts  for  assistance,  but 
the  minds  of  the  Puritans  were  so  engrossed  with  their  theo- 
logical difficulties  that  they  only  sent  twenty  men  to  the  aid  of 
their  Connecticut  brethren. 

The  Pequods  were  cautious  of  entering  into  open  warfare 
without  the  assistance  of  the  other  strong  tribes,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  enlisting  them  in  the  bloody  work  they  sent  messen- 
gers to  the  tribes  they  desired  as  allies.  Roger  Williams,  upon 
hearing  that  they  had  sent  a  messenger  to  the  Narragansetts, 
hastened  to  that  tribe  to  save  some  of  the  very  men  who  had 
banished  him  from  Massachusetts.  After  a  weary  trip  through 
a  great  storm  he  reached  the  Narragansett  village,  to  find  the 
Pequod  chiefs  already  there  urging  the  Narragansetts  to  war 
against  the  whites,  and  for  three  days,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  he 
boldly  pleaded  his  cause,  and  was  rewarded  by  the  refusal  of 
the  Narragansetts  to  join  the  Pequods,  and  they  also  gave  their 
promise  to  Williams  that  they  would  aid  the  whites,  and  Will- 
iams, after  sending  a  messenger  to  Boston  to  warn  the  people 
of  their  danger,  returned  home. 

Soon  after  this  the  Connecticut  settlers,  in  a  convention  at 
Hartford,  declared  war  against  the  Pequods,  and  with  a  force 
of  about  eighty  settlers  and  sixty  Mohegans,  under  the  friendly 
chief  Uncas,  marched  against  the  enemy.  The  expedition  was 
commanded  by  Captain  John  Mason,  whose  experience  as  a 
soldier  in  Flanders  fitted  him  for  the  position.  The  night 
before  they  started  on  their  perilous  expedition  they  engaged 
in  prayer  with  their  ministers,  Hooker  and  Stone.  Expecting 
aid  from  the  Narragansetts,  they  stopped  at  their  village  on  the 
way,  where  they  were  received  with  friendship,  but  the  chief 
replied  :  •'  Your  design  is  good,  but  your  numbers  are  too  weak 
to  brave  the  Pequods,  who  have  mighty  chieftains  and  ajre 
skillful  in  battle."  He,  however,  consented  to  send  two  hundred 
of  his  warriors  along  to  assist  if  they  saw  an  opportunity  to 


482  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

turn  the  tide  of  victory  against  their  ancient  enemy.  Nothing 
daunted  by  the  disappointment,  Mason  determined  to  carry  out 
the  undertaking  with  the  force  he  had. 

When  the  Pequods  saw  the  English  sail  past  the  mouth  of 
the  Thames  River,  they  thought  the  whites  were  fleeing  from 
them,  and  they  set  up  a  shout  of  derision.  But  Mason  \vnr> 
only  sailing  into  Narragansett  Bay  for  the  purpose  of  attacking 
the  Pequod  forts  by  land;  and  on  the  26th  of  May,  at  ju.-t  abou' 
daylight,  Mason's  party  cautiously  approached  the  village  of 
their  sit  eping  foe,  knowing  that  life  and  death  and  all  that  they 
held  dear  in  their  families  on  the  Connecticut  depended  on  the 
issue.  An  Indian  dog  gave  the  alarm,  and  the  sentinel,  hastily 
aroused,  rushed  into  the  fort  shouting  "The  English  !  the 
English  !"  The  attack  was  fiercely  made  and  fiercely  met,  as 
the  English  issued  through  the  palisades  and  poured  the  fire 
of  their  guns  in  the  very  faces  of  their  savage  foe.  The  issue 
was  uncertain,  when  Mason  grasped  a  torch,  and  shouting 
"We  must  bum  them!"  set  fire  to  the  wigwams,  which 
were  soon  ablaze  in  a  fearful  conflagration,  and  as  the  Pequods 
rushed  frantically  through  the  flimes,  the  English  and  their 
red  allies  formed  a  circle  around  the  burning  village  and  swept 
the  Pequods  away  in  confusion.  Over  six  hundred  men, 
women  and  children  perished.  After  this  wholesale  slaughter 
the  warriors  from  the  other  fort  arrived,  three  hundred  strong, 
and  Mason,  fearing  that  there  might  be  an  attack  upon  the 
defenseless  settlement,  embarked  his  men  in  their  boats  and 
hastily  returned. 

A  few  days  later  Captain  Stoughton  arrived  from  Massa- 
chusetts with  one  hundred  men  and  pursued  the  broken- 
spirited  Pequods,  destroying  their  villages  and  crops  and  over-! 
whelming  them  at  every  point.  So  desperate  became  the 
situation  of  the  Pequods  that  they  were  driven  from  place  to 
place  and  butchered  by  the  English  and  their  Indian  allies 
until  the  remnant  of  two  hundred  surrendered  in  despair  to 
the  English.  These  were  divided  out  captives  among  their 
enemies  and  sent  to  the  West  Indies  as  slaves,  and  thus  was 
blotted  out  the  once  proud  Pequod  tribe. 

The  fate  of  Miantonomoh,   the  chief  of  the  Narragansetts, 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF  AMERICA.  483 

and  friend  of  the  whites,  was  most  melancholy.  Having  been 
captured  by  the  Mohegans  in  a  war  with  that  tribe,  he  was 
delivered  over  to  his  old  enemy,  Uncas,  who,  in  the  presence 
of  men  of  the  Connecticut  settlements,  tomahawked  the  old 
chief,  and  cutting  a  piece  of  flesh  from  his  shoulder,  ate  it, 
declaring  that  it  was  the  most  delicious  morsel  that  had  ever 
passed  his  lips. 

In  1638,  a  London  clergyman  named  John  Davenport,  and 
Theophilus  Eaton,  a  rich  merchant,  having  with  a  number  of 
their  followers  been  exiled  from  England,  sailed  for  America 
and  landed  in  Boston,  and  though  urged  to  remain  with  that 
prosperous  colony,  they  decided  to  seek  their  new  home  in  the 
fertile  valley  of  Connecticut  of  which  they  had  heard  so  favor- 
ably. During  the  winter  Eaton,  with  a  number  of  the  company, 
had  explored  the  coast  of  the  Sound,  and  selected  a  location  for 
their  colony,  and  with  the  arrival  of  spring,  Davenport  and  the 
remainder  sailed  from  Boston  and  arrived  at  the  location  se- 
lected by  Eaton,  where  Davenport  preached  his  first  sermon  on 
the  Sabbath  under  a  large  tree,  and  together  they  formed  a 
government  in  which  the  officers  and  right  of  voting  were  to 
be  confined  to  church  members,  and  the  Bible  was  selected  as 
their  guide  in  all  things.  The  land  they  purchased  from  the 
Indians,  and  the  settlement  was  called  New  Haven.  Eaton  was 
made  governor,  and  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  more 
than  twenty  years,  was  successively  re-elected. 

In  1639  the  people  of  the  Connecticut  colonies  met  in  con- 
vention at  Hartford,  and  framed  a  constitution  and  form  of 
general  government  for  the  settlements.  Those  who  took  an 
oath  of  allegiance  were  entitled  to  vote,  and  it  was  resolved 
that  England  should  have  no  voice  in  the  control  of  their  affairs. 
A  General  Assembly  was  created  by  their  constitution,  to  which 
members  were  selected  from  the  different  towns  in  proportion 
to  the  number  of  inhabitants.  The  constitution  and  form  of 
government  thus  created  remained  in  force  until  the  days  of 
the  Revolution,  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  afterward. 

In  1622  the  Plymouth  Council  granted  to  Sir  Ferdinand 
Gorges  and  John  Mason  a  portion  of  land  situated  in  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine  to  be  called  Laconia,  and  soon  after 


484  EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA. 

emigrants  were  sent  over  who  settled  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Piscataqua,  and  founded  Portsmouth  and  Dover.  Wheel- 
wright, who  was  banished  with  Mrs.  Hutchinson  from  Massa- 
chusetts, founded  Exeter. 

In  this  manner  the  colonists  were  progressing  and  working 
out  their  own  forms  of  government  independent  of  England. 
They  had  received  nothing  from  her  but  exile  and  persecution, 
and  they  sought  no  favors  of  her  in  their  wilderness  homes. 
The  very  hardships  and  dangers  which  surrounded  them  im- 
bued them  with  a  self-reliant,  independent  spirit  and  they  only 
desired  to  be  let  alone.  But  designing  men  in  England  were 
watching  their  progress  and  planning  to  reap  the  benefits  of 
their  labor.  Believing  that  the  attempt  was  to  be  made  to 
establish  over  them  the  rule  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  to 
appoint  a  governor-general  to  control  them  in  the  interest  of 
the  Crown,  the  colonists  raised  six  hundred  pounds  for  fortifica- 
tions for  the  resistance  of  any  encroachments  upon  their  rights. 

In  1640  many  of  the  colonists  returned  to  England  to  aid 
their  Puritan  brethren  in  overturning  the  government  of 
Charles  I.,  and  in  bringing  him  to  the  scaffold  under  the  iron 
will  of  Cromwell.  But  the  Restoration  soon  brought  a  revul- 
sion and  among  those  whom  royal  revenge  destroyed  were  the 
Rev.  Hugh  Peters  and  Harry  Vane,  who  were  beheaded  on  the 
scaffold  for  having  aided  the  Puritan  cause. 

In  1643  the  colonists  found  it  necessary  to  join  themselves 
together  under  the  title  of  "  The  United  Colonies  of  New  Eng- 
land, "  to  protect  themselves  from  the  hostile^  Indians  and  the 
encroaching  French  and  Dutch.  In  this  confederation  each 
colony  was  left  undisturbed  in  its  self-government,  while  two 
commissioners  from  each  colony  formed  the  legislative  body 
that  deliberated  and  made  laws  for  the  general  welfare.  The 
important  qualification  required  of  the  commissioners  was 
church  membership. 

Rhode  Island  refused  to  acknowledge  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Council  of  Plymouth,  and  consequently  she  was  not  permitted 
to  join  the  Union.  Thereupon  Roger  Williams  proceeded  to 
England  to  obtain  a  separate  charter,  which  Harry  Vane 
secured  from  Parliament  under  the  title  of  the  Providence 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  485 

Plantations.  Soon  after  this  Roger  Williams  became  a  Baptist, 
and  in  1644  founded  the  first  Baptist  Church  in  America. 

Up  to  this  time  religion  had  engrossed  the  attention  of  the 
colonists  above  other  important  requirements,  but  education 
began  to  impress  its  necessity  upon  them  also.  Each  year  saw 
the  number  of  finely  educated  men  increase  in  the  colonies,  and 
it  began  to  be  realized  that  a  higher  class  of  educational  insti- 
tutions should  be  established  for  the  growing  youth  of  the  land. 
The  first  of  these  colleges  was  established  in  1638,  and  named 
Cambridge,  after  the  famous  institution  of  that  name  in  Eng- 
land. To  this  institution  the  Rev.  John  Harvard  left  his  library 
and  half  his  fortune. 

In  1639  a  printing  press  arrived  from  Holland,  and  was 
scarcely  set  up  before  it  was  at  work  printing  books  of  psalms 
for  the  New  England  churches. 

In  1647  the  subject  of  education  was  again  taken  up  and  free 
schools  were  established,  where  every  child  could  receive  a 
common  English  education.  The  enactment  required  that  every 
town  or  district  having  fifty  householders  should  establish 
a  common  school.  All  the  New  England  colonies,  except 
Rhode  Island,  established  free  schools  in  accordance  with  this 
enactment. 

In  1656  a  new  religious  disturbance  broke  out  in  the  colonies. 
There  had  arisen  in  England  a  class  of  dissenters  from  the 
Puritan  doctrines,  called  Quakers,  who  were  opposed  to  all 
former  modes  of  worship,  and  it  was  even  rumored  in  the 
colonies  that  they  denied  their  obligation  to  all  civil  laws. 
Almost  with  bated  breath  the  devout  New  England  Puritans 
awaited  the  arrival  of  some  of  this  dreaded  sect  in  their  midst. 
They  had  had  Roger  Williams  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson  with  their 
heresies,  and  now  they  were  to  be  troubled  with  Quakers.  At 
last  two  women  arrived  whose  bonnets  revealed  their  identity 
even  before  they  were  seized  and  their  books  examined.  It 
was  at  first  even  thought  advisable  to  try  them  as  witches,  but 
finally  their  books  were  ordered  to  be  burned  by  the  hangman  and 
they  were  sent  back  to  England  with  a  warning  never  to  return. 
The  Puritans  then  passed  rigid  laws  against  the  entrance  of 
any  Quakers  into  the  colony,  and  even  went  to  the  extreme  of 


486  EAftLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA. 

passing  a  law  condemning  to  death  any  Quaker  who,  having 
been  banished  from  the  colony,  should  return  ;  but  with  all  the 
precautions,  they  still  came,  and  even  some  of  those  who  had 
been  sent  away  returned,  as  though  seeking  death  for  con- 
science' sake,  and  four  of  them  were  actually  put  to  death  ;  but 
their  blood  seemed  to  cry  out  against  the  self-righteous  Puri- 
tans, and  at  last  the  persecutions  ceased  and  the  Quakers 
became  good  citizens,  and  many  of  them  became  missionaries 
to  the  Indians,  under  the  guidance  of  the  noble  and  devoted 
minister,  John  Eliot,  who  in  his  earnest  labors  among  the 
Indians  even  succeeded  in  translating  the  Bible  for  them  in 
their  native  tongue.  Among  other  noble  spirits  who  labored 
for  the  souls  of  the  poor  untutored  Indians  was  Mayhew,  who 
afterward,  in  returning  to  England,  was  lost  with  all  on  board. 

During  all  these  events,  in  matters  of  religion  and  education 
the  colonies  were  prospering  and  growing  into  a  permanent 
civilization,  which  was  making  the  land  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 
The  following  extract  from  a  writer  of  the  day  indicates  the 
progress  the  people  were  making  :  "  The  Lord  hath  been 
pleased  to  turn  all  the  wigwams,  huts  and  hovels  the  English 
dwelt  in  at  their  first  coming,  into  orderly,  fair  and  well-built 
houses,  well  furnished,  many  of  them  with  orchards  filled  with 
goodly  fruit  trees  and  garden  flowers.  This  poor  wilderness 
hath  equalized  England  in  food,  and  goes  beyond  it  for  the 
plenty  of  wine  and  apples,  pears,  quince-tarts,  instead  of 
their  former  pumpkin  pies.  Good  white  and  wheaten  bread  is 
no  dainty  ;  the  poorest  person  in  the  country  hath  a  house  and 
land  of  his  own  and  bread  of  his  own  growing,  if  not  some 
cattle.  Many  fair  ships  and  lesser  vessels,  barques  and  ketches 
were  built.  Boston,  of  a  poor  country  village,  is  become  like 
unto  a  small  city  ;  its  buildings  beautiful  and  large ;  some 
fairly  set  out  with  brick,  tile,  stone  and  slate,  orderly  placed, 
with  comely  streets,  whose  continual  enlargements  piesageth 
some  sumptuous  city," 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that,  notwithstanding  the  bigotry  and 
fanaticism  in  religious  matters  of  the  Massachusetts  settlers, 
their  indomitable  perseverance  was  exactly  what  was  required  in 
developing  the  resources  of  the  glorious  land  of  their  adoption. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  487 

CHAPTER  XI. 

VIRGINIA,  MARYLAND  AND  DELAWARE. 

The  colony  in  Virginia  had  not  been  prospering  as  well  as 
the  sister  settlements  in  New  England.  They  had  lost  two 
valuable  friends,  Captain  John  Smith  and  Powhatan ;  the 
former  had  returned  to  England,  the  latter  was  dead,  and  with 
him.  had  departed  the  influence  which  held  the  savage  spirit  of 
the  Indians  in  check.  Opecbancanough,  his  brother,  was  chief 
of  the  tribe,  and  though  openly  friendly  with  the  whites,  he  was 
secretly  their  enemy,  and  wished  for  their  extermination.  This 
secret  spirit  of  hate  was  engendered  by  the  unwise  actions  of 
the  settlers,  who  took  possession  of  the  most  fertile  land  wher- 
ever they  found  it,  without  any  offer  of  purchase  or  remunera- 
tion to  the  Indians.  This  aroused  the  spirit  of  revenge  in 
Opechancanough,  and  he  secretly  planned  the  extermination  of 
the  English  in  Virginia. 

The  colonists  numbered  about  four  thousand  in  the  year  1622, 
while  the  tribes  of  Indians  within  striking  distance  of  James- 
town and  the  different  settlements  numbered  about  five  thou- 
sand. The  plot  was  formed  that  the  warriors  of  this  force 
should  on  a  certain  day  fall  upon  the  settlements  simulta- 
neously and  massacre  every  man,  woman  and  child.  While  this 
plan  was  being  arranged  Opechancanough  was  unusually 
friendly  with  the  settlers,  and  up  to  the  very  day  of  the  intended 
attack  the  Indians  were  eating  at  the  tables  of  the  whites  and 
playing  the  hypocrites  more  completely  than  was  thought  pos- 
sible with  the  Indian  character. 

The  plot  was  so  well  laid  that  it  would  have  been  carried  out, 
to  the  almost  entire  destruction  of  the  English,  had  not  a  con- 
verted Indian  named  Chauco  brought  the  news  to  Jamestown 
on  the  morning  of  the  fatal  day.  The  colonists  were  at  once 
thrown  into  the  greatest  excitement,  and  messengers  were 
hurried  off  in  every  direction  to  warn  the  settlements.  But  all 
could  not  be  reached,  and  at  noon  the  merciless  savages  simul- 
taneously began  the  massacre  upon  all  the  settlements,  and  in 
one  hour,  on  the  22d  of  March,  1622,  they  cruelly  butchered 
three  hundred  and  forty-seven  men,  women  and  children  and 


488  EARLY  HISTORY  Of  AMERICA. 

seventy-two  plantations  were  laid  waste.  The  fleeing  settlers 
sought  safety  at  Jamestown  and  left  their  homes  to  desolation. 
Death  had  entered  nearly  every  family,  and  to  add  to  their 
wretched  condition,  sickness  and  famine  visited  them  with  dire 
results,  and  in  less  than  three  months  twenty-five  hundred 
only  were  alive  out  of  the  four  thousand  colonists.  So  great 
was  the  mortality  in  the  Virginia  colony  that  out  of  nine 
thousand  settlers  only  two  thousand  remained  at  the  end  of 
two  years,  and  many  years  passed  before  prosperity  again 
visited  the  colony. 

The  territory  of  Maryland  was  included  in  the  grant  of  land 
to  the  London  Company  in  1609,  and  Captain  John  Smith  ex- 
plored the  Chesapeake,  after  which  a  trade  gradually  sprang  up 
with  the  Indians,  which  the  enterprising  Virginians  had  ex- 
tended on  both  sides  of  the  bay.  William  Clayborne,  a  sur- 
veyor, was  employed  by  the  governor  to  explore  the  sources  of 
the  Chesapeake  and  make  a  map  of  the  country.  After  this 
exploration  a  company  was  formed  in  England  to  trade  with 
the  Indians,  and  Clayborne  becoming  the  agent  of  the  company, 
made  settlements  on  Kent  Island,  opposite  Annapolis,  and  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Susquehanna. 

In  1632  Lord  Baltimore  obtained  from  King  Charles  a  grant 
for  a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  Potomac,  after  his  attempt  to 
found  a  colony  on  the  shores  of  Newfoundland  had  failed. 
Lord  Baltimore  had  but  recently  left  the  Protestant  church  and 
joined  the  Catholics.  This  had  prevented  his  attempt  to  form  a 
colony  in  Virginia,  where  he  was  met  with  a  religious  test  oath 
which  as  a  Pvoman  Catholic  he  could  not  take.  This  difficulty  de- 
termined him  onfounding  an  asylum  for  all  religions,  where  men 
would  be  free  to  exercise  their  own  conscience  in  the  service  of 
God.  The  colonists  were  to  make  their  own  laws  and  were  to  be 
entirely  free  from  English  taxation.  This  territory  he  named 
Maryland  in  honor  of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  the  wife  of 
Charles.  Lord  Baltimore  did  not  live  to  see  the  results  of  his 
efforts,  for  just  as  the  charter  was  granted  he  died,  and  his  son, 
Cecil  Calvert,  succeeding  him  in  the  title,  sent  out  his  brother 
Leonard  in  1632  in  charge  of  two  hundred  emigrants,  mostly 
Catholics,  who  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  just  as  a  tribe  of 


EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA.  489 

Indians  were  preparing  to  move  on  account  of  their  enemies,  the 
Susquehannas.  These  Indians  sold  to  the  colony  their  cultivated 
fields  and  village  on  the  St.  Mary's,  a  branch  of  the  Potomac, 
where  they  settled,  and  named  the  town  St.  Mary's.  Governor 
Harvey,  of  Virginia,  paid  them  a  friendly  visit  soon  after  their 
arrival,  and  extended  to  them  the  welcome  and  assistance  of 
Virginia.  The  colony  soon  became  prosperous,  and  in  the 
second  year  of  their  existence  held  their  first  legislative 
Assembly,  They  treated  the  natives  with  great  consideration 
and  soon  established  a  profitable  trade  with  them.  This  aroused 
the  enmity  of  Clayborne,  whose  license  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  was  annulled  by  Lord  Baltimore's  charter.  Clayborne 
refused  to  recognize  Lord  Baltimore's  authority  over  his  two 
trading  posts.  This  resulted  in  a  collision,  in  which  Clayborne 
was  defeated  and  fled  to  Virginia.  Governor  Calvert  demanded 
his  return  as  a  fugitive  from  justice,  and  to  evade  the  demand 
Governor  Harvey  sent  him  to  England  to  be  tried.  The  Vir- 
ginia people  sympathized  with  Clayborne  and  in  their  indigna- 
tion at  the  course  of  Harvey,  impeached  him  and  removed  him 
from  office,  but  Kong  Charles  reappointed  him  and  he  returned 
as  governor  in  spite  of  the  Virginians. 

To  make  matters  worse  Clayborne  returned  from  England 
and  incited  a  rebellion  which  drove  Governor  Calvert  from  the 
province,  but  in  1646  he  returned  from  Virginia  with  troops  and 
suppressed  the  rebellion  and  pardoned  all  offenders. 

Leonard  Calvert  died  in  1647.  During  the  rule  of  Cromwell 
and  the  troubles  which  followed,  several  governors  were  ap- 
pointed over  Maryland  until  the  Assembly  repudiated  both 
Cromwell  and  Baltimore ;  but  on  the  restoration  of  Charles 
II.,  Philip  Calvert— Lord  Baltimore— convinced  the  King  that 
he  had  been  a  loyalist  all  the  time,  and  he  was  appointed  gov- 
ernor, and  his  authority  being  recognized  by  the  people  of 
Maryland,  he  granted  a  full  pardon  to  all,  and  peace  and  pros- 
perity were  again  restored  to  the  colony. 

After  Sir  William  Berkeley  became  successor  to  Harvey  as 
governor  of  Virginia,  England  began  to  restrict  the  trade 
of  the  colony  and  claim  it  as  her  own.  This  crippled  the 
colony  and  interfered  with  their  industry  and  commerce  until 


490  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

the  days  of  the  Revolution.  The  war  in  England  which  over- 
turned Charles  I.  also  disturbed  the  colony,  and  divided  them 
in  their  opinions  of  the  cause  to  be  espoused.  Virginia  was  the 
last  of  the  colonies  to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  Cromwell's 
Commonwealth.  Religious  disturbances  also  arose.  The  Puri- 
tans in  New  England  had  been  banishing  Episcopalians,  and 
Virginia,  which  held  to  the  Church  of  England,  began  to  ban- 
ish the  Puritans  who  were  living  in  their  midst. 

After  Charles  was  led  to  the  scaffold,  Virginia  became  the 
asylum  of  many  loyalists,  who  were  kindly  received  by  the 
colonists.  After  Cromwell  died,  the  Virginia  House  of  Bur- 
gesses passed  a  resolution  "  that  the  supreme  power  will  res'de 
in  the  Assembly."  They  at  the  same  time  elected  Berkeley 
governor.  It  is  said  that  Virginia  acquired  the  name  "Old 
Dominion  "  by  her  loyalty  to  Charles  II.  in  his  exile,  by  invit- 
ing him  to  come  and  be  king  of  Virginia.  These  peculiarities 
of  early  Virginia  are  explained  by  the  fact  that  her  first  colo- 
nies were  organized  and  protected  by  the  nobility  of  England, 
which  created  from  the  start  an  aristocratic  spirit  in  the  set- 
tlers. Another  reason  of  their  pride  was  that  the  cultivation 
of  tobacco  developed  large  plantations  and  slave  labor,  in 
addition  to  a  class  of  white  men,  mostly  political  offenders, 
who  were  bound  out  or  indentured  for  a  term  of  years. 

After  the  Restoration,  Berkeley  declared  that  he  was  gov- 
ernor, not  because  he  was  elected  but  because  he  had  been 
appointed  by  Charles  II.  The  Assembly  was  at  that  time,  in 
1662,  composed  of  landholders  who  were  mostly  wealthy  and 
generally  aristocratic,  and  they  decided  to  deprive  the  common 
people  of  the  right  to  choose  their  own  legislators  by  declaring 
the  Assembly  perpetual,  and  during  a  usurpation  of  fourteen 
years  nearly  all  the  civil  rights  of  the  people  were  swept  away. 
The  Church  of  England  was  declared  the  authorized  religion  of 
the  colony.  The  cause  of  education  was  neglected,  and  Berkeley 
even  said,  "  I  thank  God  there  are  no  free  schools  nor  printing ; 
and  I  hope  we  will  not  have  them  these  hundred  years."  During 
the  forty  years  that  Berkeley  was  governor  he  was  not  troubled 
with  free  schools  or  printing  presses,  and  it  was  ninety  years 
after  Massachusetts  had  both,  before  Virginia  had  either. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  491 

In  1675  a  war  broke  out  between  Maryland  and  the  Indians, 
and  Virginia  sent  a  company  of  soldiers,  under  John  Washing- 
ton, the  great-grandfather  of  George  Washington,  to  help  the 
people  of  Maryland.  When  they  arrived  on  the  Potomac,  the 
Susquehannas  sent  six  of  their  chiefs  to  treat  for  peace,  but  the 
Virginians  killed  the  entire  number.  This  enraged  the  Su-que- 
hannas,  and  they  marched  over  the  border  into  Virginia  and 
killed  ten  men  for  every  one  of  theirs  whom  the  Virginians  had 
slain.  In  their  distress  the  people  called  upon  Berkeley  to  send 
soldiers  to  their  aid,  but  he  was  more  interested  in  the  fur  trade, 
and  made  no  effort  in  behalf  of  the  unprotected  settlements. 
The  people  then  called  upon  Nathaniel  Bacon,  a  young  English- 
man, a  lawyer  and  a  patriot,  to  take  command  of  their  volunteer 
soldiers,  but  Berkeley,  who  disliked  Bacon,  refused  to  grant  him 
a  commission.  The  Indians  continued  their  bloody  work 
until  the  situation  became  so  desperate  that  the  volunteers 
put  themselves  under  command  of  Bacon  and  marched  against 
the  Indians.  On  hearing  of  this  action,  Berkeley  proclaimed 
Bacon  a  traitor  and  his  soldiers  rebels.  At  this  time  the  more 
populous  counties  that  were  not  molested  by  the  Indians 
exhibited  signs  of  dissatisfaction  at  the  usurpations  of  the  As- 
sembly and  the  haughty  actions  of  the  governor,  and  as  soon 
as  Bacon  had  returned  successful  with  his  troops  the  people 
forced  the  obnoxious  Assembly  to  dissolve,  and  an  election  for 
new  members  was  called.  Among  these,  Bacon  was  elected 
to  represent  Henrico  County,  and  the  new  Assembly  corrected 
the  evils  of  its  usurping  predecessor.  They  also  elected  Bacon 
commander  of  the  army,  to  which  Berkeley  at  first  refused  to 
give  his  sanction,  but  after  having  done  so,  as  soon  as  Bacon 
again  went  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians  Berkeley  again  proclaimed 
him  a  traitor.  In  reply  to  this  Bacon  said  :  "  It  vexes  me  to 
the  heart  that  while  I  am  hunting  the  wolves  which  destroy 
our  lambs,  I  should  myself  be  pursued  like  a  savage." 

To  thwart  the  will  of  the  people  Berkeley  then  gathered  a 
motley  army  of  English  sailors  and  Indians  and  prepared  to  sub- 
jugate the  people  to  his  will.  In  anticipation  of  his  intentions 
the  people  met  in  convention  at  Middle  Plantation,  and  resolved 
to  oppose  his  tyranny  by  force.  Soon  after  this  Berkeley  with 


492  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA 

five  ships  sailed  to  Jamestown  to  put  down  what  he  termed  an 
insurrection  of  the  people.  At  Jamestown  he  was  met  and 
defeated  by  Bacon  and  the  army  of  the  people,  and  Berkeley 
and  his  mongrel  army  fled,  leaving  Jamestown  in  possession 
of  Bacon.  To  prevent  Berkeley  from  again  securing  possession 
of  Jamestown,  a  council  of  war  was  held,  and  it  was  resolved 
to  burn  the  town.  Drummond  and  Lawrence  and  other  prom- 
inent patriots  applied  the  torch  to  their  own  dwellings.  Thus 
the  first  town  built  on  this  continent  by  Englishmen  crumbled 
to  ashes  as  a  sacrifice  to  civil  liberty,  and  all  that  to-day  re- 
mains of  that 

"  Old  cradle  of  an  infant  world 

In  which  a  nestling  nation  lay  ; 
Struggling  awhile  ere  she  unfurled 
Her  gallant  wings  and  soared  away," 

is  the  old  vine-clad  ruin  of  the  church  tower. 

It  was  now  believed  that  the  people  of  Virginia  had  secured  the 
fruits  of  a  permanent  victory  over  usurpation,  but  their  noble 
leader  was  soon  seized  with  an  illness  which  ended  his  brave 
and  useful  life.  The  tyrant  Berkeley  seized  upon  this  oppor- 
tunity to  again  possess  himself  of  the  government,  and  began 
to  persecute  with  fines,  confiscation  and  death  all  who  had  sided 
with  the  patriots.  The  first  who  was  condemned  to  death  was 
Hansford,  who  was  not  permitted  to  be  shot  like  a  soldier,  but 
was  executed  by  hanging,  being  the  first  white  native  of 
America  who  perished  on  the  gallows.  When  Drummond  was 
taken,  Berkeley  said  with  an  air  of  triumph  :  "You  are  wel- 
come ;  I  am  more  glad  to  see  you  than  any  man  in  Virginia. 
You  shall  be  hanged  in  half  an  hour."  Before  the  vengeance 
of  the  relentless  Berkeley  was  satiated  twenty-two  persons 
were  executed. 

At  last  Berkeley  left  the  country  and  returned  to  England, 
and  to  celebrate  the  departure  the  people  built  bon-fires  and 
held  a  public  rejoicing.  In  England  he  was  received  with 
loathing  and  disgust,  and  even  King  Charles  exclaimed:  "  The 
old  fool  has  taken  away  more  lives  in  that  naked  country  than 
I  for  the  murder  of  my  father." 

The  cup  of  Virginia  was  not  yet  full.    In  1678  Charles  gave 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  493 

the  governorship  of  Virginia  to  Culpepper  for  life,  and  in  1680 
he  came  and  began  enriching  himself  by  taxing  and  impover- 
ishing the  people,  and  when  he  had  sufficiently  robbed  them 
he  took  his  departure,  and  a  more  impecunious  and  avaricious 
governor  named  Effingham  succeeded  him. 

After  the  accession  of  William  and  Mary,  the  college  bearing 
their  name  was  founded  in  Virginia  in  1691,  and  the  Rev. 
James  Blair  was  its  President  for  fifty  years. 

So  completely  had  Virginia  been  given  over  to  royal  favorites, 
and  her  trade  and  commerce  restricted  for  their  profit,  that  there 
had  long  ceased  to  be  any  inducement  to  emigration,  and  the 
chief  labor  in  raising  tobacco  appeared  to  be  done  by  slaves,  and 
kidnapped  whites  of  the  lower  order  of  society  in  England. 

This  condition  of  things  in  Virginia,  together  with  the 
struggles  for  civil  liberty  under  Bacon,  also  affected  Maryland 
with  a  spirit  of  dissatisfaction.  On  the  accession  of  William 
and  Mary,  the  deputy  governor  of  Maryland  was  not  inclined 
to  acknowledge  allegiance  to  them.  This  was  seized  upon  by 
designing  persons  to  incite  the  people  against  the  government  of 
the  colony,  and  a  number  of  Protestant  leaders  armed  the  peo- 
ple to  seize  the  deputy  governor,  and  the  deliberations  of  a 
convention  resulted  in  deposing  Lord  Baltimore,  and  declaring 
the  people  as  the  sovereigns.  King  William  learning  of  this 
action,  deprived  Lord  Baltimore  of  his  rights  under  the  charter, 
declared  the  colony  a  royal  province,  placed  over  them  a 
royal  governor,  made  new  laws  for  them,  established  over  them 
the  Church  of  England  'and  disfranchised  the  Catholics  for 
whom  the  colony  had  been  formed.  In  1716  Lord  Baltimore's 
rights  under  the  charter  were  restored  to  his  heir,  and  all  the 
former  laws  were  re-established. 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  the  King  of  Sweden,  for  the  purpose  of 
advancing  the  Protestant  religion,  granted  a  charter  in  1626  to 
a  company  of  Swedes  to  establish  a  colony  in  the  New  World, 
and  in  the  following  year  a  few  emigrants  came  over,  but  a 
war  soon  engrossed  the  attention  of  the  Swedish  King,  and  his 
death  soon  after  on  the  field  of  battle  ended  his  efforts  in  behalf 
of  American  colonization.  Oxenstiern,  a  distinguished  states- 
man, then  took  up  the  matter,  and  in  1638  a  company  of  Swedes 


494!  EARLY   HISTORY   OF  AMERICA. 

and  Finns  in  charge  of  Peter  Minuits  arrived  in  Delaware  Bay, 
on  the  shores  of  which  he  bought  land  from  the  Indians  and 
began  a  settlement,  which  they  called  New  Sweden,  and  near 
the  present  site  of  Wilmington  built  Fort  Christiana,  named  in 
honor  of  Sweden's  youthful  queen.  The  colony  was  soon  in  a 
flourishing  condition  and  another  settlement  was  made  by  new 
emigrants  on  land  now  included  in  the  suburbs  of  Philadelphia. 
Nearly  all  the  territory  secured  by  the  Swedes  had  been  pur- 
chased by  the  Dutch,  who  some  years  before  had  been  sent  out 
from  New  Amsterdam  to  form  a  settlement,  but  dissensions 
and  a  war  with  the  Indians  had  destroyed  the  colony.  On  this 
claim  to  the  territory  the  Dutch  protested  against  the  Swedish 
usurpation,  and  in  1651  they  built  a  fort  at  New  Castle,  within 
a  few  miles  of  Fort  Christiana.  This  fort  the  Swedes  attacked 
and  destroyed.  For  this  injury  and  presumption,  Stuyvesant, 
the  Governor  of  New  Netherlands,  marched  against  the  Swedes 
with  six  hundred  men  and  took  possession  of  their  country. 
In  passing  under  Dutch  rule,  the  Swedes  were  generously 
treated  and  were  allowed  to  retain  all  their  rights  as  citizens. 
Thus  was  Delaware  settled,  and  thus  in  seventeen  years  ended 
Swedish  power  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  YORK. 

In  1609  Henry  Hudson  was  sent  out  by  a  company  of  London 
merchants  in  search  of  a  northwestern  passage  to  India.  His 
expedition  proving  unsuccessful,  the  company  refused  to  send 
him  on  a  second  voyage.  He  then  offered  his  services  to  the 
Dutch  East  India  Company,  who  supplied  him  with  a  ship, 
called  the  Half-Moon,  and  he  was  permitted  to  sail  without 
special  instructions  and  in  the  exercise  of  his  own  judgment. 
He  first  sought  a  passage  to  the  northeast,  and  went  as  far 
beyond  the  capes  of  Norway  as  the  ice  would  permit.  Then 
turning  west  across  the  Atlantic  he  sailed  along  the  coast  of 
America  as  far  south  as  the  shore  of  Virginia,  after  which  he 
retraced  his  course,  and,  sailing  north,  entered  Delaware  Bay. 
From  thence  he  again  proceeded  north,  and,  after  passing 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  495 

through  a  narrow  channel,  entered  a  beautiful  bay,  where  he 
anchored  near  one  of  the  islands  now  known  as  Manhattan 
Island,  embracing  a  part  of  the  city  of  New  York.  Here,  for 
several  days,  he  was  visited  by  the  astonished  natives  in  their 
canoes,  who  thought  the  ship  and  whites  had  come  from  the 
Great  Spirit.  Believing  that  the  great  river  that  stretched 
away  to  the  north  might  be  the  long-sought  passage  to  India, 
he  sailed  up  the  stream  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  by 
that  exploration  gave  his  name  to  the  river  and  immortality  to 
his  memory. 

On  his  return  to  England  Hudson  was  not  permitted  to  serve 
the  Dutch  any  longer,  but  his  future  discoveries  were  desired 
for  England.  On  his  next  voyage,  undertaken  in  the  interests 
of  some  London  merchants,  he  took  a  northerly  direction  and 
discovered  the  bay  known  by  his  name.  There  he  wintered 
among  the  islands,  intending-to  resume  his  search  in  the  spring 
for  the  northwestern  passage,  but  when  that  season  came  he 
found  it  impossible,  from  shortness  of  provisions,  to  continue 
the  voyage.  In  great  disappointment  he  set  sail  for  home,  but 
in  a  short  time  his  crew  mutinied,  and  he  and  his  son  and 
some  sick  seamen  were  set  adrift  in  a  small  boat  and  were  left 
to  perish  in  the  great,  gloomy  bay  that  bears  his  name. 

The  Dutch  having  learned,  from  Hudson's  description  of  his 
voyage  in  their  service,  of  the  great  beauty,  fertility  and  abun- 
dance of  timber  in  the  bay  and  inlet  of  New  York,  a  ship  was 
sent  the  next  year  to  open  up  traffic  with  the  Indians,  and  in 
a  few  years  there  were  forts  and  trading  posts  as  far  up  the 
river  as  Albany,  then  called  Fort  Orange.  A  rude  fort  had 
been  built  on  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  Island,  which  was  the 
first  building  ever  erected  in  New  York. 

In  1621  the  Dutch  West  India  Company  obtained  from  Hol- 
land a  grant  of  all  the  territory  in  America  they  might  occupy 
for  the  purposes  of  trade  and  colonization.  This  monopoly  of 
trade  reached  from  Cape  May  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  to  this  terri- 
tory the  Dutch  gave  the  name  of  New  Netherlands.  The  valley 
of  the  Mauritius,  as  the  Hudson  Eiver  was  then  called,  offered 
the  most  profitable  inducements  for  trade,  and  to  that  locality 
the  Dutch  gave  their  particular  attention. 


496  EARLY  HISTORY   OF  AMERICA. 

Peter  Minuits  was  appointed  governor  of  the  first  colony, 
and  coming  over  in  1625,  he  bought  the  whole  of  Manhattan 
Island  from  the  Indians  for  $24.  The  settlement  was  called 
New  Amsterdam.  The  industry  of  the  colony  at  first  consisted 
of  a  trade  in  furs  and  the  capture  of  any  Spanish  vessel  that 
approached  the  harbor. 

The  Dutch  soon  stretched  their  settlements  over  Long  Island, 
Staten  Island  and  New  Jersey,  and  in  their  treatment  of  the 
Indians  they  were  very  honorable,  buying  their  lands  and  pay- 
ing in  the  best  legal  tender  of  the  day — knives,  beads,  wampum 
and  similar  goods.  To  encourage  emigration,  every  person 
who  would  come  was  offered  a  sufficient  quantity  of  land  for 
cultivation,  and  there  was  also  offered  to  every  man  who  in 
four  years  would  found  a  colony  of  fifty  souls  a  tract  of  land 
sixteen  miles  in  length  by  eight  in  width  anywhere  in  the 
New  Netherlands,  except  Manhattan  Island,  and  the  person 
should  be  given  the  title  of  "Patroon"  or  "Lord  of  the 
Manor."  This  offer  was  taken  advantage  of  by  Van  Rensse- 
laer,  Godyn  and  others. 

The  Dutch  West  India  Company,  to  favor  New  Amsterdam, 
determined  to  make  that  settlement  the  capital  of  the  New 
Netherlands  and  to  centre  the  trade  there.  A  law  was  passed 
forbidding  any  one,  under  penalty  of  banishment,  to  make 
fabrics  of  any  kind  for  clothing,  all  being  compelled  to  buy 
the  goods  at  New  Amsterdam. 

In  1683  Walter  Van  Twiller  became  governor  in  place  of 
Minuits,  who  had  resigned.  He  proved  himself,  however,  incom- 
petent for  the  important  position,  and  neglected  the  rights  of  the 
colonists  in  his  great  desire  to  serve  the  company.  So  great 
were  his  shortcomings  that  the  old  plain-spoken  Dutch  Min- 
ister, Dominie  Bogardus,  reproved  him  in  a  letter  saying  that  he 
would  give  him  "  such  a  shake  from  the  pulpit  on  the  follow- 
ing Sunday  as  would  make  him  shudder." 

Van  Twiller  was  soon  succeeded  by  William  Kief  t.  This  man, 
while  more  competent  than  his  predecessor,  was  avaricious, 
unscrupulous  and  tyrannical  in  his  administration,  and  was 
continually  quarreling  with  the  Swedes,  English  and  Indians. 
The  Indians  had  previously  been  friendly  with  the  Dutch,  and 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  497 

the  Mohawks  and  Iroquois  had  been  supplied  with  several  hun- 
dred muskets  to  fight  their  Indian  enemies. 

Kieft,  under  a  pretended  authority  from  the  company, 
attempted  to  levy  an  annual  tribute  on  the  tribes  of  Indians 
living  along  the  Hudson  River.  To  this  the  Indians  replied  that 
he  "  was  a  shabby  fellow  to  come  and  live  on  their  land  with- 
out being  invited,  and  then  want  to  take  away  their  corn  for 
nothing."  This  refusal  to  pay  the  tribute  ended  the  attempt  to 
collect  it. 

Soon  after  this  Kieft  accused  some  Raritan  Indians  of  steal- 
ing some  hogs  which  had  really  been  taken  by  some  Dutch 
traders.  Kieft,  without  investigating  the  truth  of  the  charge, 
sent  some  soldiers  who  destroyed  the  corn  of  the  Raritan  tribe 
and  killed  some  of  their  men.  The  Raritans  retaliated  by  kill- 
ing four  settlers  on  Staten  Island.  The  next  year  a  Hollander 
was  killed  at  Manhattan  by  an  Indian  who  had  vowed  to  re- 
venge the  death  of  his  uncle  twenty  years  before,  whom  he 
had  seen  killed  when  he  was  a  little  child.  Kieft  demanded 
the  murderer,  but  the  Indians  refused  to  give  him  up,  and 
offered  to  pay  two  hundred  fathoms  of  wampum  in  satisfac- 
tion. To  settle  the  difficulty  Kieft  permitted  a  committee  of 
twelve  of  the  colony  to  investigate  the  Indian  difficulty.  This 
committee  also  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  con- 
sider the  despotic  acts  of  their  governor,  which  enraged  Kieft, 
and  he  broke  up  the  committee,  and  thus  ended  the  first 
deliberative  Assembly  of  the  Dutch  in  America. 

Soon  after  this  a  colonist  sold  brandy  to  a  young  Indian,  and 
after  cheating  him  drove  him  away.  The  youth,  inflamed  by 
the  liquor,  returned  with  his  bow  and  arrows  and  shot  the 
Hollander  dead.  Kieft  demanded  the  murderer,  but  he  had 
fled  to  a  neighboring  tribe,  and  the  chiefs  replied  to  the  de- 
mand by  saying  :  "  It  is  your  own  fault.  Why  do  you  sell 
brandy  to  our  young  men?  It  makes  them  crazy.  Your  own 
people  get  drunk  and  fight  with  knives."  Immediately  after 
this  a  band  of  Indians  pursued  by  the  Mohawks  took  refuge  on 
the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  opposite  Manhattan,  and  appealed 
to  the  Dutch  for  protection.  Kieft  was  urged  to  secure  for- 
ever the  friendship  of  the  neighboring  tribes  by  protecting 


498  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

them  from  the  warlike  Mohawks,  but  he  resolved  to  extermi- 
nate the  helpless  Indians.  In  protest  against  this  unwise 
and  inhuman  resolve  De  Vries  said  :  "  If  you  surrender 
these  poor  creatures  who  have  put  themselves  under  your  pro- 
tection, you  will  involve  the  whol3  colony  in  ruin,  and  their 
blood  and  the  blood  of  your  own  people  will  be  required  at 
your  hands."  This  admonition  was  scorned  by  Kieft,  who  sent 
a  body  of  soldiers  across  the  river  at  midnight  and  butchered 
the  unsuspecting  and  helpless  Indians.  Old  and  young,  strong 
and  helpless,  men,  women  and  children  all  shared  a  common 
fate.  The  Indian  tribes  along  the  river  rose  in  horror  and  rage 
when  they  heard  of  the  unprovoked  and  cowardly  butchery  of 
the  helpless  tribe  that  had  thrown  themselves  upon  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Dutch.  A  desperate  and  bloody  retribution  was 
visited  upon  the  colonists.  The  united  tribes  made  war  upon 
the  pale-faces  wherever  they  found  them  and  the  cries  of 
butchered  settlers  and  the  smoke  of  burning  houses  rose  in 
every  direction.  Scarcely  a  settler  was  left  outside  of 
Manhattan  and  Staten  islands.  Nearly  all  fled  to  the 
fort  on  Manhattan  who  could  escape  the  enraged  sav- 
ages, and  it  was  feared  for  a  time  that  the  entire  Dutch  colony 
would  be  swept  from  America.  They  were  alone  saved  proba- 
bly by  the  intercession  of  Roger  Williams,  whose  influence 
with  the  Indians  was  such  that  he  persuaded  them  to  stop  the 
terrible  butchery.  So  much  for  the  brutality  of  Kieft.  One 
incident  of  the  war  is  worthy  of  mention.  De  Vries  had  on 
that  fatal  night  saved  an  Indian  and  his  wife  from  being 
slaughtered,  and  when  the  Indians  attacked  De  Vries'  settle- 
ment on  Staten  Island  the  grateful  Indian  pleaded  with  the 
savages  to  spare  the  settlement,  and  the  Indians  proved  their 
appreciation  of  De  Vries'  humanity  by  withdrawing  from  the 
attack. 

It  was  finally  agreed  between  the  Indians  and  Dutch  that 
they  would  each  send  messengers  to  Rockaway,  Long  Island, 
to  treat  for  peace,  and  De  Vries,  whose  influence  with  the 
Indians  was  known,  was  one  of  the  messengers  sent  by  the 
Dutch.  At  the  conference,  one  of  the  chiefs  held  in  his  hand  a 
number  of  little  sticks,  and  as  he  began  to  talk  he  held  up  one 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  499 

and  said :  ' '  When  you  first  came  to  our  shores  you  wanted 
food ;  we  gave  you  our  beans  and  our  corn,  and  now  you 
murder  our  people."  Holding  up  another  stick  he  continued  : 
"The  men  whom  your  first  ships  left  to  trade  we  guarded  and 
fed ;  we  gave  them  our  daughters  for  wives  ;  some  of  those 
whom  you  murdered  were  of  your  own  blood."  He  then 
took  up  another  stick  to  recount  the  wrongs  done 
his  people,  but  the  messengers  had  heard  enough 
to  trouble  their  consciences,  and  asked  to  make  peace  and  for- 
get the  past.  The  Indians  consented  to  bury  the  hatchet,  but 
this  was  not  agreed  upon  by  the  young  warriors,  and  soon  war 
broke  forth  afresh,  and  it  was  only  by  obtaining  the  services 
of  Captain  John  Underbill,  who  had  become  famous  for  his 
success  in  the  Pequod  war,  that  the  Dutch  saved  themselves 
from  extermination.  An  aggressive  war  was  then  waged 
against  the  savages  for  two  years,  and  they  were  hunted  through 
forest  and  swamp  ;  but  still  they  continued  to  ambush  the  un- 
protected farmers,  and,  murdering  them  in  their  fields,  would 
carry  off  their  wives  and  children  as  captives.  This  warfare 
destroyed  the  crops,  and  famine  added  its  terrors  to  the  colony. 
In  the  prolonged  struggle  for  extermination  nearly  two 
thousand  Indians  had  been  killed,  and  the  Dutch  had  been  so 
reduced  in  numbers  that  there  were  scarcely  one  hundred  per- 
sons left  on  Manhattan  Island. 

At  last  the  hopelessness  of  the  struggle  induced  both  parties 
to  seek  peace,  and  a  meeting  was  arranged  between  the  differ- 
ent tribes  at  war  and  the  Dutch,  assisted  by  a  delegation  of 
friendly  Mohawks,  and  at  the  Battery  on  Manhattan  Island 
the  terms  of  peace  were  arranged.  At  this  conference  Kieft 
was  charged  with  the  whole  cause  of  the  war.  The  Dutch 
at  once  sought  his  recall,  and  covered  with  infamy  and  loaded 
with  his  ill-gotten  gains,  he  embarked  for  Holland  in  a  vessel 
which  was  lost  on  the  voyage,  off  the  coast  of  Wales,  and 
Kieft  with  nearly  all  the  crew  perished. 

Peter  Stuyvesant  was  then  appointed  governor  by  the  West 
India  Company,  and  he  at  once  established  rigid  business  prin- 
ciples of  conducting  the  affairs  of  the  colony.  He  cultivated 
the  friendship  of  the  Indians,  settled  disputes  in  reference  to 


500  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

boundaries,  and  in  every  possible  way  promoted  the  interests 
of  the  colony.  Stuyvesant  wisely  decided  that  the  colonies  in 
the  New  World  should  not  disagree  because  of  wars  between 
their  mother  countries  in  the  Old  World,  and  he  agreed  to  ne- 
gotiate with  New  England  on  the  question  of  a  boundary  be- 
tween them. 

But  Stuyvesant,  in  his  just  administration  of  affairs  between 
the  colony  and  the  Indians  and  his  New  England  neighbors, 
overlooked  the  wise  policy  of  justice  toward  his  own  people. 
For  many  years  the  colonists  had  sought  for  the  same  freedom 
in  their  laws  that  the  New  England  colony  enjoyed,  but  Stuy- 
vesant was  a  strict  military  disciplinarian,  and  he  contended 
that  the  people  could  not  govern  themselves,  and  that  they 
should  attend  to  their  own  business  and  he  would  govern  them 
according  to  his  own  ideas.  This  was  a  fatal  position,  and  it 
greatly  weakened  his  hold  on  the  regard  of  the  people,  and  he 
found  to  his  sorrow  that  they  indifferently  deserted  him  when 
his  hour  of  trial  came. 

The  English  had  long  been  contemplating  the  conquest  of 
the  Dutch  possessions  in  America,  on  the  ground  that  they 
belonged  by  right  of  discovery  to  the  British  Crown,  and  in 
1664  Charles  II.  granted  the  whole  territory  from  Connecticut 
to  the  Delaware  to  his  brother  James,  the  Duke  of  York,  after- 
ward James  II. 

Stuyvesant's  first  intimation  of  this  intention  was  the  appear- 
ance of  a  powerful  fleet  in  the  harbor  of  Manhattan  under 
Richard  Nicholl.  As  an  old  soldier,  Stuyvesant  prepared  at 
once  for  vigorous  resistance,  but  to  his  surprise  found  that  the 
people  whose  civil  rights  he  had  ignored  were  indifferent,  and 
many  even  expressed  their  preference  for  the  more  liberal 
English  rule.  The  letter  sent  to  the  governor  by  the 
English  admiral  offered  to  the  people  full  protection  of 
their  rights,  property,  religion  and  institutions,  but 
Stuyvesant  refused  to  let  his  people  see  the  letter  and 
angrily  destroyed  it.  The  people  then  protested  against  his 
arbitrary  conduct,  and  made  their  own  terms  with  the  English. 
Thus  Stuyvesant  was  forced  to  surrender,  and  all  the  posses- 
»ions  of  the  Dutch  and  the  settlements  of  the  Swedes  on  the 


EABLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  501 

shores  of  the  Delaware  passed  without  a  gun  being  fired  into 
the  hands  of  the  English.  Nicholls  was  appointed  governor 
and  the  name  of  New  Amsterdam  was  changed  to  that  of  New 
York,  in  honor  of  the  duke  to  whom  it  was  granted,  and  Fort 
Orange  was  called  Albany. 

The  territory  between  the  Hudson  and  the  Delaware  was 
ceded  by  the  Duke  of  York  to  Lord  Berkeley,  who  had  been 
governor  of  the  Isle  of  Jersey,  and  Sir  George  Carteret,  to 
which  they  gave  the  name  of  New  Jersey.  Emigration  was 
invited  to  this  terrtiory  by  most  liberal  religious  and  civil  laws. 
The  Duke  of  York  afterward,  disregarding  the  rights  of  Berke- 
ley and  Carteret,  appointed  Andros  governor  of  the  colony. 
Berkeley,  at  this  example  of  bad  faith,  sold  that  part  of  the 
territory  called  West  Jersey  to  Edward  Byllinge,  who  in  turn 
disposed  of  it  to  William  Penn  and  others,  who  amicably  agreed 
with  Carteret  to  divide  the  territory.  Soon  after  this  Scotch 
Presbyterians  began  to  emigrate  in  large  numbers  to  East 
Jersey,  which  has  ever  since  retained  strong  impressions  of  that 
denomination. 


CHAPTER    XIIT. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Among  those  who  were  persecuted  for  conscience'  sake  in 
England,  and  who  sought  an  asylum  in  the  New  World,  was 
the  religious  sect  called  Quakers.  It  would  naturally  have 
been  supposed  that  the  Puritans,  and  even  those  who  came 
to  America  through  political  persecutions,  would  have  re- 
ceived them  kindly.  We  have,  however,  read  in  previous 
chapters  an  account  of  the  cruel  treatment  and  even  death 
inflicted  upon  the  unfortunate  Quakers  who  sought  a  home 
in  New  England,  while  even  the  Virginia  colony  refused 
to  allow  them  a  home.  George  Fox,  the  founder  of  the 
sect,  had  sought  in  vain  in  America  for  an  asylum  for 
his  distressed  followers,  and  after  cruel  persecutions  a 
number  of  Quakers  ventured  to  make  a  settlement  in  New 
Jersey  in  1675,  and  the  next  year  Berkeley  sold  West 
Jersey  to  William  Penn  and  other  Quakers,  which  gave  them 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF  AMERICA. 


rightful  possession  of  a  home  where  they  might  no  longer 
be  assailed.  This  small  experiment  proving  successful,  Penn 
undertook  to  secure  a  larger  territory  for  his  co-religionists, 
and  in  1681  obtained  from  Charles  II.  a  large  tract  of  land  west 
of  the  Delaware  in  payment  of  a  claim  against  the  Crown  for 
£16,000  left  him  by  his  father,  and  the  king  bestowed  on  it  the 
name  of  Pennsylvania — "the  forest  of  Penn." 


WILLIAM  PENN. 

This  great  benefactor  of  his  sect  and  the  human  race  was  a 
son  of  Sir  William  Penn,  an  admiral  who  had  won  distinction 
by  his  conquest  of  Jamaica  and  his  brilliant  achievements  dur- 
ing the  war  with  Holland.  Born  in  1644,  young  Penn  became 
a  student  at  Oxford,  from  which  he  was  expelled  for  having 
become  a  convert  to  the  doctrines  of  Quakerism.  Becoming 
very  indignant  at  his  expulsion,  his  father  severely  punished 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  503 

him  and  turned  him  away  from  his  home,  but  on  further  con- 
sideration sent  him  to  travel  on  the  Continent  for  two  years, 
thinking  that  a  larger  experience  of  the  world  would  eradi- 
cate the  Quaker  heresy  from  his  mind.  He  returned  much 
improved  in  two  years,  but  still  a  Quaker.  The  old  admiral 
then  lost  all  patience  and  renounced  his  son  and  sent  him 
adrift. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  Penn  was  sent  to  prison  for 
his  conscience'  sake,  and  upon  being  threatened  with  impris- 
onment for  life  if  he  did  not  recant,  he  replied  :  "  Then  the 
prison  shall  be  my  grave  !"  Upon  one  occasion,  Stillingfleet, 
the  learned  clergyman,  was  sent  to  convince  him.  Young 
Penn  sent  to  the  King  the  following  message  :  "  The  Tower  is 
to  me  the  worst  argument  in  the  world  ;  those  who  use  force 
for  religion  can  never  be  in  the  right."  After  his  release,  a 
fine  position  in  the  navy  was  offered  him,  and  other  royal 
favors,  if  he  would  renounce  his  religion,  but  still  he  remained 
firm.  Soon  after  he  was  again  arrested,  and  the  jury  were 
starved  two  days  and  nights  to  force  them  to  convict  him,  but 
although  they  were  afterward  fined,  they  still  persisted  in  a 
verdict  of  "not  guilty."  In  spite  of  the  .verdict,  the  judge 
fined  Penn  and  cast  him  into  prison  until  his  father  paid  his 
fine  and  released  him.  Soon  after  this  his  father,  on  his  death- 
bed, became  reconciled  to  his  son,  and  calling  him  to  his  bed- 
side, said  :  "  Son  William,  if  you  and  your  friends  keep  to 
your  plain  way  of  preaching  and  living,  you  will  make  an  end 
to  the  priests." 

Leaving  England  for  a  time,  Penn  went  to  Holland,  and 
afterward  made  the  tour  of  Germany,  preaching  in  numerous 
villages. 

At  last,  after  making  his  purchase  of  territory  from  Charles 
II. ,  he  determined  to  embark  for  his  new  home  in  the  wilder- 
ness. As  an  assurance  to  those  about  to  emigrate,  as  well  as 
to  the  settlers  already  on  the  land  he  had  purchased,  Penn  drew 
up  a  proclamation  offering  the  people  the  right  to  make  their 
own  laws.  In  this  proclamation  he  said:  "  I  propose  to  leave 
myself  and  successors  no  power  of  doing  mischief;  that  the 
will  of  no  one  man  may  hinder  the  good  of  a  whole  country." 


504  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

Three  vessels  soon  after  set  sail  in  charge  of  his  nephew,  Will- 
iam Markh am.  Penn's  estate  was  now  nearly  exhausted,  and 
taking  advantage  of  his  condition,  a  large  sum  of  money  was 
offered  him  by  a  company  of  speculators  for  the  exclusive  right 
to  the  trade  between  the  Susquehanna  and  Delaware.  But 
Penn  refused  on  the  ground  that  each  one  in  his  colony  should 
have  an  equal  right. 

In  1682  Penn,  with  one  nundred  settlers,  sailed  for  his  new 
home,  and  on  the  27th  of  October,  after  a  long  voyage  of  nine 
weeks,  and  the  loss  of  thirty  of  his  company  by  small-pox,  he 
landed  at  New  Castle,  on  the  Delaware,  where  he  was  met  by 
the  English,  Dutch  and  Swedes  with  great  courtesy.  Sailing  up 
the  Delaware,  he  soon  reached  a  beautiful  forest  of  pine  treee, 
where  he  decided  to  found  his  city.  There  under  a  spreading 
elm  he  met  the  chiefs  of  the  neighboring  tribes  and  made  his 
memorable  treaty  with  them  which  each  party  kept  inviolate 
for  fifty  years.  Penn's  promises  of  just  treatment  of  the 
Indians  were  never  broken,  and  they  always  looked  upon  him 
as  a  true  and  honorable  friend. 

During  the  same  year  twenty-three  ship-loads  of  emigrants 
arrived  at  the  Penn -settlement,  and  in  1683  the  location  was 
selected  for  the  city,  and  the  lands  purchased  from  the  Swedes. 
The  embryo  city  was  called  Philadelphia — ''brotherly  love.'' 
Each  home  was  to  have  a  large  garden,  so  that  it  should  be  "  a 
greene  country  town,"  and  the  broad  streets  were  laid  out 
through  the  forest. 

In  three  years  the  new  citv  had  six  hundred  houses  and  the 
colony  had  increased  to  nearly  ten  thousand  souls.  As  an  evi- 
dence of  the  justice  accorded  to  the  Indians,  it  was  one  of  the 
laws  of  the  colony  that  in  all  differences  between  the  two  races 
the  jury  to  try  those  cases  should  be  selected  of  six  whites  and 
six  Indiana.  Thus  it  was  that  while  other  settlements  suffered 
from  the  Indians,  the  Quakers  were  never  known  to  be  molested- 

The  only  trouble  that  Penn  experienced  was  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  boundary  between  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware. 
Failing  to  agree  with  Lord  Baltimore,  Penn  referred  the  diffi- 
culty to  the  King,  and  a  grant  of  half  the  land  between  Chesa- 
peake Bay  and  the  Delaware  was  given  to  Penn.  The  boundary 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  505 

that  now  exists  was  surveyed  in  1761,  by  Mason  ani  Dixon, 
and  is  familiarly  known  as  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line. 

In  1683  the  first  Assembly  in  Pennsylvania  was  called  and 
held  its  session.  It  was  composed  of  six  members  from  rach 
county,  whose  term  of  office  was  one  year.  The  right  of 
voting  and  holding  office  was  accorded  to  every  freeman  who 
believed  in  God  and  abstained  from  labor  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
The  people  enjoyed  a  liberal  representative  Government,  and 
were  free  from  restraint  in  religious  matters.  Three  peace- 
makers were  appointed  in  each  county  to  arbitrate  difficulties 
and  prevent  lawsuits.  In  1692  a  public  high  school  was  estab- 
lished by  Penn  at  Philadelphia,  and  a  printing  press  was  in 
operation. 

The  territory  of  Delaware  was  at  first  a  part  of  Pennsylvania, 
but  after  Penn  returned  to  England  the  "  three  lower  coun- 
ties," as  Delaware  was  then  called,  became  dissatisfied  at  their 
connection  with  the  Quaker  government  and  sought  their  in- 
dependence. Penn  yielded  to  their  wish,  and  they  became  a 
separate  colony. 

In  1684  Penn  returned  to  England,  leaving  the  colony  firmly 
established,  with  a  population  of  7,000.  There  he  influenced 
King  James  to  liberate  over  twelve  hundred  Quakers  from 
prison.  But  while  he  was  working  for  the  good  of  his  people 
in  the  Old  World,  they  were  encroaching  upon  his  rights  in  the 
colony,  and  began  to  appropriate  to  public  use  the  rents  which 
were  his  only  remuneration  for  his  outlay  in  establishing  the 
colony. 

When  the  English  revolution  in  1688  drove  James  II.  into  ex- 
ile and  placed  William  of  Orange  on  the  throne,  Penn  lost  his 
firm  friend  and  the  favor  he  had  enjoyed  at  the  English  court. 
He  was  charged  by  his  enemies  with  favoring  the  cause  of 
the  exiled  king,  and  his  proprietary  rights  in  the  colony  were 
taken  from  him.  He  was  otherwise  annoyed,  and  was  arrested 
three  times  upon  charges  which  could  not  be  sustained.  He 
then  prepared  to  return  to  America  with  a  large  number  of 
emigrants,  but  was  again  arrested,  and  he  now  determined  to 
remain  until  he  was  cleared  of  every  charge.  A  deep  family 
affliction  then  fell  upon  him  in  the  death  of  his  wife  and  eldest 


506  EAfiLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA. 

son.  At  last  his  character  was  vindicated  and  his  rights  in 
the  colony  were  fully  restored,  but  by  this  time  his  fortune  was 
exhausted,  and  his  visit  to  the  colony  thereby  being  delayed, 
he  sent  his  nephew  Markham,  who  called  an  assembly  of  the 
people,  whose  rights  during  Penn's  absence  had  been  en- 
croached upon,  and  helped  them  frame  a  liberal  constitution. 
Penn  then  arrived,  and  when  his  advice  was  asked  he  re- 
plied, "  Keep  what  is  good  in  the  charter  and  frame  of  govern- 
ment, and  add  what  may  best  suit  the  common  good." 

Among  the  first  emigrants  to  Pennsylvania  were  a  number  of 
German  Quakers,  whom  Penn  had  converted  by  his  preaching 
in  their  country,  who  settled  at  Germantown,  a  suburb  of  Phila- 
delphia. A  few  years  later  the  wars  on  the  continent  of  Europe 
drove  large  numbers  of  Germans  from  their  homes,  who  emi- 
grated to  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  the  most  fertile  regions 
of  the  State.  These  later  emigrants  were  mostly  Lutherans  and 
German  Reformers  in  religion.  Settling  together,  they  retained 
their  manners,  language  and  religion,  and  to  the  present  day 
continue  a  distinct  and  important  element  of  the  rural  popula- 
tion of  the  State. 

A  large  emigration  also  began  turning  toward  Pennsylvania 
from  the  North  of  Ireland  and  Scotland,  composed  principally 
of  Presbyterians,  whose  posterity  constitute  an  important  part 
of  the  population. 

Having  returned  to  the  colony,  Penn  intended  making  it  his 
final  home,  but  hearing  that  the  Crown  intended  to  take  away 
the  charter  of  his  colony,  to  which  he  held  a  double  title,  hav- 
ing purchased  the  land  both  from  Charles  and  from  the  Indians, 
Penn  hastened  back  to  England,  where  his  influence  saved  the 
colony  from  becoming  a  royal  province,  over  which  avaricious 
and  unprincipled  governors  would  have  been  appointed  to  im- 
poverish the  people.  After  this  Penii  became  so  poor  that  he 
was  even  for  a  time  consigned  to  a  debtors'  prison,  but  to  the 
last  he  refused  to  sell  his  estate  and  rights  in  America  without 
retaining  for  the  people  the  enjoyment  of  all  their  liberties. 
At  last  in  1718,  at  the  extreme  of  poverty,  but  rich  in  virtues 
and  nobility  of  soul,  William  Penn  died,  but  his  memory  and 
principles  will  live  to  bless  the  world  throughout  all  time. 


HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  507 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

COLONIZATION  OF  THE    CAROLINAS. 

The  territory  called  Carolina  was  that  in  which  Coligny 
attempted  in  1622  to  form  a  Protestant  settlement  of  French 
Huguenots,  who  were  so  soon  afterward  destroyed  by  the 
relentless  Spaniards.  This  territory  extended  from  the  southern 
boundary  of  Virginia  to  the  northern  limit  of  Florida.  After 
the  Huguenots  had  so  miserably  perished,  attempts  were  fre- 
quently made  by  the  Virginia  colonists  to  form  settlements 
within  the  borders  of  this  "delightsome  land."  Those  who 
emigrated  from  Virginia  were  mostly  dissenters  from  the 
Church  of  England,  a  class  who  were  treated  with  much 
severity  by  the  dominant  church  in  Virginia,  which  annoyed 
them  by  the  collection  of  tithes  and  enforced  attendance  upon 
the  Episcopal  service.  A  company  of  Presbyterians  having 
settled  on  the  Chowan,  jurisdiction  over  them  was  usurped  by 
Berkeley,  the  governor  of  Virginia,  who  appointed  a  governor 
over  them.  This  ruler  was  William  Drummond,  a  Scotch 
Presbyterian  of  liberal  mind  and  earnest  principles  of  popular 
liberty.  It  was  this  worthy  man  who  afterward  fell  a  victim 
on  the  gallows  to  the  vengeance  of  the  cruel  Berkeley  for 
having,  after  his  return  to  Virginia,  espoused  the  cause  of 
Bacon  in  his  effort  to  secure  civil  liberty  for  the  people. 

In  1663  Charles  II.,  after  former  grants  of  the  same  land  to 
others,  granted  to  Lord  Albemarle,  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury, 
General  Monk,  Sir  William  Berkeley,  Sir  George  Carteret,  and 
several  others,  all  that  territory  lying  between  the  southern 
line  of  Virginia  and  the  St.  John's,  in  Florida,  and  extending 
from  ocean  to  ocean. 

In  anticipation  of  founding  a  great  kingdom,  Shaftesbury  and 
the  philosopher  John  Locke  were  appointed  to  frame  the  consti- 
tution and  lay  out  the  framework  of  the  government.  The  re- 
sult of  their  labor  was  a  constitution  called  the  "  Grand  Mode]  " 
It  was  created  expressly  for  rulers  of  noble  blood,  with  no  rights 
for  the  common  people.  The  entire  adminstration  was  to  be 
placed  permanently  in  the  hands  of  earls,  barons  and  squires. 
A  modified  form  of  feudalism  was  embraced  in  it,  by  which 


50&  EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA. 

all  persons  not  owning  fifty  acres  of  land  were  to  be  attached 
to  the  soil  as  permanent  tenants,  and  only  those  owning  the  re- 
quired fifty  acres  were  to  be  regarded  as  freemen. 

The  difficulty  the  "Grand  Model"  met  with  was  that  it 
found  hardy  settlers  already  on  the  soil  who  had  bought  their 
land  from  the  Indians,  and  they  refused  to  give  up  their  prop- 
erty, pay  rent,  or  accept  the  "Grand  Model"  with  its  lords  and 
dukes.  The  Carolinas  were  a  land  of  deerskin  and  homespun 
clothing,  not  adapted  to  nobility,  except  that  which  could 
•wield  an  ax  and  hold  a  plow. 

In  1661  a  few  settlers  from  New  England  had  formed  a 
colony  on  Cape  Fear  River,  but  the  barrenness  of  the  soil  dis- 
couraged them,  and  many  returned  to  their  former  homes.  In 
1664  another  settlement  was  made  by  planters  from  the  Bar- 
badoes,  and  Sir  John  Yeamans  was  appointed  governor.  These 
Bettlers  worked  industriously  to  establish  an  industry  in  staves 
and  shingles  made  in  the  pine  barrens  and  shipped  to  the  West 
Indies. 

In  1670  a  company  of  emigrants,  under  William  Sayle,  were 
sent  by  the  charter  owners  of  the  land,  who  appointed  Joseph 
West  as  their  agent.  These  colonists  landed  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Ashley  River,  where  they  founded  a  settlement  which  is 
now  the  city  of  Charleston.  A  republican  form  of  government 
was  established  after  the  "  Grand  Model"  had  been  tried  and 
failed,  and  by  founding  this  separate  government  they  estab- 
lished the  division  between  North  and  South  Carolina. 

The  colony  rapidly  increased.  All  nationalities  and  religions 
came,  including  a  large  number  of  Huguenots,  induced  by 
the  fine  climate  and  offers  of  special  advantages  from  Charles  II. , 
who  was  anxious  to  introduce  the  culture  of  grapes  and  olives 
and  the  raising  of  silk  worms  for  future  silk  industry. 

The  peculiar  condition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Carolinas 
made  it  impossible  for  the  charter  owners  to  establish  laws  over 
them.  They  had  emigrated  from  other  colonies  to  escape  per- 
secution and  restraint.  They  did  not  settle  in  towns,  but  were 
scattered  along  the  rivers  and  through  the  forests,  where  codes 
of  laws  could  not  control  them. 

In  1671  Yeamans,   the  previously  appointed  governor,  re- 


EARLY  HISTORY   OF   AMERICA.  509 

turned  from  the  Barbadoes  with  fifty  families  and  about  two 
hundred  slaves,  which  was  the  beginning  of  African  slavery  in 
South  Carolina.  The  institution  rapidly  grew  underthe  foster- 
ing care  of  Yeamans,  whose  avarice  was  unbounded.  He  was 
finally  dismissed  by  the  company,  and  Joseph  West  was  ap- 
pointed his  successor. 

An  attempt  was  next  made  to  levy  duties  upon  the  colonies 
as  a  source  of  revenue  from  the  small  but  growing  trade. 
This  the  people  resisted,  and  James  Colleton  was  sent  over  as 
governor,  to  force  the  people  to  submission.  The  Assembly  at 
once  resisted  his  authority  and  asserted  its  rights  and  those  of 
the  people,  and  they  even  arrested  Colleton's  secretary.  His 
call  for  the  militia  was  met  with  a  defiant  refusal  ;  and  finally, 
when  William  and  Mary  ascended  the  throne,  Colleton  was 
banished  from  the  colony. 

For  a  short  time  there  were  disputes  among  the  Quakers, 
Presbyterians  and  Huguenots  in  reference  to  land  titles  and 
rents ;  but  in  1694,  John  Archdale,  a  just  Quaker,  was  elected 
governor,  and  he  successfully  acted  as  mediator  between  the 
disputants.  He  conciliated  all  parties  by  selecting  for  his 
council  men  of  all  religions.  He  also  secured  the  friendship  of 
the  Indians,  and  by  ransoming  some  of  their  Indian  converts 
from  slavery  he  made  friends  of  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Augustine, 
who  in  return  sent  home  some  shipwrecked  English  sailors. 

In  1694  there  was  an  agreement  entered  into  between  the  dif- 
ferent religious  denominations  in  the  colony,  for  the  sake  of  a 
concession,  to  permit  one  minister  of  the  Church  of  England  to 
be  maintained  at  the  public  expense,  although  at  the  time  the 
Dissenters  were  in  a  considerable  majority.  Soon  after  this, 
the  adherents  to  the  Church  of  England,  finding  themselves 
with  a  majority  of  one  in  the  Assembly,  passed  a  law  depriving 
the  Dissenters  of  their  religious  and  political  rights,  and  made 
the  Church  of  England  the  established  church  of  the  colony, 
which  they  divided  into  parishes,  and  applied  to  the  church  in 
England  for  pastors.  The  people  rose  in  opposition  to  this 
deprivation  of  their  liberties,  and  upon  appeal  to  the  House  of 
Lords  the  unjust  act  was  repealed,  and  equal  rights  again 
existed  in  South  Carolina. 


510  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

During  Archdale's  governorship  rice  was  sent  from  Mada- 
gascar, to  be  distributed  among  the  planters  for  seed.  The  soil 
and  climate  proved  well  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  the  crop, 
and  soon  a  large  industry  was  developed  therein. 

The  colonists  began  to  manufacture  home-made  clothing  for 
their  own  use,  but  scarcely  had  the  industry  been  begun  before 
the  English  merchants  and  manufacturers  complained  of  the 
loss  in  trade  that  would  acrue  to  them  therefrom.  Through 
this  selfish  desire  to  enrich  themselves  and  impoverish  the 
colony,  Parliament  passed  a  law  in  favor  of  the  merchants  and 
manufacturers,  prohibiting  woolen  goods  being  transported 
between  the  colonies  or  to  foreign  ports.  As  a  result  of  this, 
manufacturing  industry  in  South  Carolina  was  impeded,  and 
the  people  were  compelled  to  turn  their  attention  to  agri- 
culture. 

War  having  broken  out  between  England  and  Spain,  James 
Moore,  then  governor  of  Carolina,  unwisely  but  avariciously, 
through  his  desire  for  plunder,  planned  an  expedition  against 
St.  Augustine.  Setting  sail  with  a  number  of  vessels  and  a 
portion  of  his  troops,  he  sent  the  others  by  land  to  make  a  con- 
certed attack  upon  the  Spanish  settlement.  Reaching  St. 
Augustine,  he  readily  captured  the  town ;  but  the  Spanish 
soldiers  retiring  to  the  fort,  held  it  against  the  besiegers.  While 
Moore  was  waiting  for  cannon  from  Jamaica,  an  Indian  had 
been  hurried  to  Mobile  by  the  besieged  Spaniards,  to  notify  the 
French  settlers  there,  who  hastily  sent  word  to  Havana  of  the 
situation,  and  Moore  was  surprised  by  the  appearance  of  two 
Spanish  war  vessels,  and  with  a  loss  of  all  his  stores  and  ammu- 
nition he  was  obliged  to  hastily  retreat,  gaining  only  the  hate 
of  the  Spaniards  and  a  heavy  debt  on  the  colony. 

The  Spanish  priests  had  established  missions  among  the  Ap- 
palaohee  Indians  of  Florida,  who,  having-  been  converted  to 
the  Catholic  faith,  had  begun  to  cultivate  the  soil,  live  in  vil- 
lages, and  worship  in  churches  of  their  own  construction.  This 
influence  over  the  Indians  alarmed  the  English  colonists  in  the 
Carolinas,  and  Moore,  taking  advantage  of  this  feeling,  planned 
an  expedition  against  the  Christianized  Indians.  With  an 
army  of  fifty  whites  and  one  thousand  Indian  allies,  Moore 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  511 

made  a  rapid  march  through  Georgia,  and  surprised  the  con- 
verted Indians  in  their  village  on  Appalachee  Bay  one  morning 
at  daylight.  The  assailants,  after  burning  a  church,  retired 
before  the  vigorous  resistance  of  the  Appalachees  in  defense  of 
their  homes.  The  next  day  the  fight  was  renewed,  and  the 
Appalachees,  under  the  leadership  of  the  commander  of  a 
SpanislTship  in  the  harbor,  made  a  gallant  resistance ;  but 
being  overpowered  by  Moore  and  his  army,  the  Indian  village 
was  destroyed,  their  churches  plundered  and  burned,  and  large 
numbers  of  the  unfortunate  Appalachees  taken  prisoners, 
white  their  land  was  given  to  the  Seminoles,  who  aided  Moore 
in  his  cruel  invasion.  Having  in  this  enterprise  placed  Indian 
allies  of  the  English  between  the  French  and  Spanish,  Moore 
claimed  Georgia  by  conquest  for  the  British  Crown. 

The  next  year  a  fleet  of  French  and  Spanish  ships  appeared 
before  Charleston,  to  avenge  the  destruction  of  the  Appalachees. 
The  colonists,  under  William  Rhet  and  Sir  Nathaniel  Johnson, 
made  such  a  vigorous  resistance  that  the  enemy  were  repulsed 
and  a  French  ship  was  captured.  In  this  attack  the  French 
and  Spanish  lost  three  hundred  out  of  eight  hundred  of  their 
soldiers  in  killed  and  prisoners.  So  signal  was  the  victory  that 
the  enemy  organized  no  further  expedition  against  the  warlike 
South  Carolinians. 

Religious  controversies  again  agitated  the  people  of  the  Caro- 
linas,  and  a  vigorous  effort  was  made  to  subject  the  colonies  to 
the  rule  of  the  Church  of  England.  Especially  was  it  attempted 
to  force  the  established  church  upon  North  Carolina,  which 
was  styled  the  "Sanctuary  of  Runaways;  a  land  of  Presby- 
terians, Independents,  Quakers  and  other  evil-disposed  persons, 
where  there  was  scarcely  any  government."  All  who  refused 
to  observe  the  law  to  sustain  the  Church  of  England  were  to  be 
debarred  from  holding  any  offices  of  public  trust.  This  usurpa- 
tion of  the  people's  rights  led  to  rebellion  and  resistance  at 
every  point. 

North  Carolina,  which  previous  to  1712  had  been  at  peace 
with  the  Indians,  was  now  to  suffer,  as  other  colonies  had,  from 
the  horrors  of  Indian  warfare.  The  Tuscaroras,  a  strong  and 
warlike  tribe,  becoming  alarmed  at  the  rapid  encroachment  of 


512  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

the  whites  upon  their  territory,  resolved  to  make  war  upon  the 
intruders.  Their  attack  was  hastened  by  the  unwise  action  of 
the  Carolina  charter  owners,  who  assigned  Indian  lands  to  a 
company  of  German  emigrants  that  had  arrived  in  the  colony 
in  charge  of  De  Graffenreid.  Lawson,  the  surveyor  of  the 
colony,  while  on  an  expedition  in  company  of  De  Graffenreid, 
was  captured  by  the  Indians  and  burned  at  the  stake,  while  De 
Graffenreid  was  only  spared  and  released  when  the  Indians 
learned  that  he  was  not  English  and  had  but  recently  arrived 
in  the  country. 

The  Tuscaroras  then  attacked  the  settlements  on  the  Roanoke 
and  Pamlico  Sound,  and  cruelly  murdered  a  large  number  of 
the  helpless  colonists.  To  aid  the  settlements  Governor 
Craven,  of  South  Carolina,  sent  a  small  force  with  a  number  of 
friendly  Indians,  who  surrounded  the  Tuscaroras  in  their  fort 
and  compelled  them  to  make  peace.  This  would  doubtless 
have  ended  the  war,  but  the  troops  on  their  return  home  at- 
tacked some  Indian  villages  and  carried  off  a  number  of  the 
Indians  as  slaves.  This  aroused  the  Tuscaroras,  and  the  war 
was  renewed.  At  last  the  Tuscaroras  were  overpowered,  and 
after  many  were  killed  and  sold  as  slaves  they  were  driven 
from  their  lands,  and,  returning  north,  where  their  fathers 
formerly  lived,  they  joined  the  Five  Nations,  and  became  the 
sixth  in  that  alliance  which  cost  so  many  lives  in  later  years. 

For  a  while  peace  existed  in  the  Carolinas,  and  traffic  with 
the  Indians  was  resumed  and  extended  toward  the  Mississippi. 
But  soon  the  French  and  Spanish  began  to  exert  an  influence 
over  the  different  tribes,  and  the  Yamassees,  who  had  assisted  the 
colonists  in  their  war  on  the  Tuscaroras,  formed  an  alliance 
with  the  Catawbas,  Creeks  and  Cherokees,  and  planning  an 
attack  upon  the  whites,  suddenly  fell  upon  the  settlements  one 
morning,  slaughtered  men,  women  and  children  without 
mercy  and  carried  off  many  as  prisoners.  The  alarm  was 
hastily  sent  to  other  settlements,  and  the  people  sought  safety 
in  flight  to  Charleston.  For  a  short  time  the  savages  swept 
everything  before  them,  but  Governor  Craven  hastily  raised  a 
few  determined  troops  and  marched  to  the  defense  of  his  South 
Carolina  neighbors,  and  after  a  determined  struggle  the 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  513 

Yamassees  were  defeated  and  driven  out  of  the  country  to 
Florida,  where  the  Spaniards  gladly  received  them  as  allies. 

As  the  charter  owners  refused  to  protect  the  colonists  or 
meet  any  of  the  expenses  of  the  war,  the  settlers  determined 
that  they  would  repudiate  the  authority  of  the  company,  and , 
upon  the  mater  being  brought  before  Parliament,  the  charter 
was  declared  forfeited  and  the  company  dissolved. 

Francis  Nicholson  was  then  appointed  as  provisional  gov- 
ernor over  both  the  Carolinas  in  1720.  His  administration  was 
not  particularly  successful,  although  he  agreed  with  the  people 
and  confirmed  all  their  laws.  After  his  departure  the  Crown 
bought  out  the  rights  of  the  old  company,  and,  in  1729,  North 
and  South  Carolina  were  separated,  and  a  colonial  governor 
appointed  over  each. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  SETTLEMENT   OF  GEORGIA. 

For  many  years  after  the  Carolinas  had  become  flourishing 
colonies,  that  territory  lying  west  of  the  Savannah  River 
remained  unsettled.  It  had  been  claimed  by  England  for  a 
long  period,  and  Moore,  in  his  march  to  St.  Augustine,  had 
also  declared  his  possession  of  it  for  the  Crown  of  England. 

It  had  remained,  however,  for  that  beautiful  and  fertile  land 
to  be  devoted  to  the  noble  cause  of  an  asylum  for  the  oppressed 
and  poor  and  needy.  A  noble  work  was  undertaken  by  James 
Edward  Oglethorpe,  a  kind-hearted  member  of  Parliament 
and  a  thorough  Christian  gentleman,  who  had  become  deeply 
interested  in  the  sorrows  of  those  who  were  confined  in  the 
debtors'  prison  of  England,  of  whom,  at  the  time,  there  were 
over  four  hundred  thousand  unfortunates  locked  within 
gloomy  walls  with  scarcely  a  hope  of  release  but  death. 
Having  by  his  exertions  secured  the  release  of  hundreds  of 
these  unfortunates,  Oglethorpe  proposed  to  found  a  colony 
for  this  helpless  class  in  America,  where  they  could  secure 
comfort  and  happiness  by  industry.  In  furtherance  of 
this  plan  he  obtained  a  charter  in  1732  from  George  II. 
for  the  territory  west  of  the  Savannah,  which  in  honor  of  the 


514  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

king  was  called  Georgia.  Twenty-one  trustees  were  appointed 
for  twenty-one  years  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  col  any  in 
behalf  of  the  poor.  The  next  year  Oglethorpe  with  his  first 
company  of  colonists  reached  the  Savannah  and  began  a  settle- 
ment. The  company  consisted  of  thirty-five  families,  amount- 
ing to  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons.  The  site  selected  for  the 
settlement  was  on  a  bluff  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  was  owned  by  a  small  band  of  Muscogee  Indians 
who  kindly  received  the  colonists  and  through  the  interpreta- 
tion of  Mary  Musgrove,  an  educated  Indian  woman,  the  daughter 
of  a  chief  and  wife  of  an  Englishman  at  Charleston,  the  land 
was  purchased  of  the  Muscogees.  At  the  first  friendly  meeting 
the  chief  of  the  little  tribe  presented  Oglethorpe  a  buffalo  robe 
adorned  with  the  feathers  of  an  eagle.  Said  he  :  "  The  eagle 
signifies  speed  and  the  buffalo  strength  ;  the  English  are  swift 
as  the  eagle,  for  they  have  flown  over  vast  seas;  they  are  strong 
as  the  buffalo,  for  nothing  can  withstand  them.  The  feathers 
of  the  eagle  are  soft  and  signify  love  ;  the  buffalo  is  warm  and 
signifies  protection  ;  therefore  I  hope  the  English  will  love  and 
protect  our  little  families." 

The  colonists  began  immediately  to  lay  out  the  city  of  Savan- 
nah, and  to  fortify  the  place.  The  streets  were  laid  out  wide 
and  at  right  angles,  and  the  houses  were  built  a  uniform  size, 
with  a  garden  attached  to  each  ;  and  preparation  was  made  for 
the  development  of  the  silk  industry  by  planting  mulberry 
trees  to  feed  silk  worms. 

Everything  was  favorable  to  the  success  of  the  colony.  The 
Creeks,  the  Cherokees  and  the  Choctaws  all  made  treaties  with 
the  new  settlers,  and  began  to  trade  with  them. 

About  this  time  the  persecutions  and  sufferings  of  the 
Moravians  in  their  homes  in  the  Alps  had  aroused  the  sympa- 
thies of  England,  and  these  noble  heroes  for  conscience'  sake 
were  invited  to  make  Georgia  their  home,  where  every  kind- 
ness and  advantage  would  be  bestowed  upon  them.  This  invi- 
tation was  gladly  accepted,  and  nearly  one  hundred  of  them 
set  forth  on  the  long  journey,  aided  by  money  from  England, 
and  at  last,  after  hardships  and  storms,  they  reached  their 
home  in  the  wilderness,  and  received  a  warm  welcome,  and 


EARLY   HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  515 

gave  thanks  to  God  that  they  had  reached  a  land  of  rest.  A 
place  had  already  been  selected  for  their  settlement,  and  they 
at  once  laid  out  a  town  which,  in  remembrance  of  the  good- 
ness of  God,  they  named  Ebenezer,  and  where  they  were  soon 
joined  by  others  whom  they  had  left  in  their  old  home. 

During  all  this  time  Oglethorpe  was  nobly  devoting  himseli 
to  the  cause  of  the  poor  and  to  improve  their  condition.  After 
remaining  with  the  colony  a  year  and  a  half  he  returned  to 
England  to  obtain  more  colonists,  taking  with  him  enough  silk 
produced  by  the  colony  to  make  a  dress  for  the  Queen. 

The  next  year  Oglethorpe  returned  with  a  company  of  Scotch 
mountaineers,  who  made  a  settlement  at  Darien.  They  were 
accompanied  by  their  minister,  John  McLeod,  and  in  1736  John 
and  Charles  Wesley  came  over  to  labor  for  the  religious  wel- 
fare of  the  colony  and  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians.  In 
two  years,  however,  John  Wesley  returned  to  England  and 
became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Methodist  Church.  The 
eloquent  Whitefield  also  devoted  several  years  to  labor  in  the 
colony  and  founded  an  orphan  asylum  at  Savannah. 

To  better  protect  the  colony  Oglethorpe  built  a  fort  at  St. 
Simon's  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Altamaha.  The  Spanish 
had  been  watching  with  great  jealousy  the  encroachment  of  the 
English  on  what  they  claimed  as  their  territory,  and  they  de- 
manded the  surrender  not  only  of  Georgia,  but  also  a  part  of 
Carolina,  and  they  began  preparations  to  enforce  their  demand, 
and  Oglethorpe  hastened  to  England  to  prepare  for  the  impend- 
ing contest.  In  less  than  a  year  he  returned  with  six  hundred 
soldiers,  whom  he  had  raised  and  trained.  On  his  return  the 
Indian  allies  hastened  to  offer  their  services  to  him,  and  he 
made  preparations  to  defend  the  southern  border  of  Georgia. 
War  was  shortly  declared  by  England  against  Spain,  and  Ogle- 
thorpe was  made  military  commander  of  the  forces  in  Georgia 
and  Carolina,  with  orders  to  invade  Florida.  Accompanied  by  his 
Indian  allies,  he  at  once  marched  on  St.  Augustine,  but  was 
surprised  to  find  the  place  much  stronger  than  he  anticipated. 
The  garrison  had  been  increased  and  the  fortifications  strength- 
ened. Oglethorpe  commenced  a  siege,  but  soon  the  Indians 
began  to  desert,  and  sickness  forced  the  Carolina  regiment  to 


516  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

return  home.  This  ended  the  siege,  and  abandoning  the  expe- 
dition, Oglethorpe  returned  home.  The  effect  of  this  expedi- 
tion was  injurious  to  the  Georgia  colony,  for  it  had  drawn  the 
people  from  their  farms  to  become  soldiers,  and  the  crops  and 
morals  were  both  neglected,  while  many  of  the  Moravians  and 
other  persons  opposed  to  war  left  the  colony  and  settled  in  the 
Carolinas. 

The  Spaniards,  aroused  at  the  invasion  of  their  territory, 
fitted  out  at  Havana  and  St.  Augustine,  in  1742,  thirty-six  ves- 
sels and  three  thousand  troops,  and  sailed  to  invade  Georgia. 
The  Spanish  commander,  Monteano,  directed  his  attack  against 
the  town  of  Frederica,  on  St.  Simon's  Island,  where  Ogle- 
thorpe made  a  stand  against  them  with  a  small  force.  At- 
tempting to  surprise  the  Spaniards  in  their  camp  at  night,  the 
plan  was  spoiled  by  a  French  deserter  who  gave  the  alarm  to 
the  Spaniards.  Oglethorpe  then  resorted  to  strategy,  and  sent 
a  letter  to  the  Frenchman  urging  him  to  delay  the  Spaniards 
until  British  ships,  which  he  pretended  were  on  the  way  to  St. 
Augustine,  could  reach  that  town  and  destroy  it.  This  resulted 
in  the  arrest  of  the  Frenchman  as  a  spy,  and  the  precipitate 
return  of  the  Spaniards  to  St.  Augustine,  after  an  attack  upon 
Frederica,  in  which  they  were  defeated  ;  and  thus  ended  the 
invasion  of  Georgia  and  Carolina. 

In  1743  Oglethorpe  returned  to  England,  and  never  again 
risited  the  colony.  Ten  years  of  his  life  had  been  spent  in  his 
noble  exertion  to  help  the  poor  and  distressed  settlers  in  the 
New  World,  and  found  for  them  a  colony  which  had  grown 
prosperous  and  strong. 

Up  to  his  departure  slavery  had  been  excluded  from  Georgia, 
but  soon  after  the  settlers  began  to  hire  slaves  for  a  season  from 
Carolina;  afterward  the  term  was  extended  to  one  hundred 
years.  The  Moravians  and  Scotch  were  opposed  to  slavery, 
but  there  were  numbers  of  English  who  would  not  work  if  pos- 
sible, who  clamored  for  slavery,  and  in  a  few  years  after  Ogle- 
thorpe had  departed,  this  unworthy  institution  was  regularly 
introduced  into  the  colony  by  slave  ships  from  Africa.  In  1752 
the  trustees  resigned  their  charter  and  Georgia  became  a  royal 
province. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  517 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

NEW  ENGLAND  AFTER  THE  RESTORATION. 

When  Charles  II.  returned  to  his  throne  the  news  was  brought 
to  New  England  by  Whalley  and  Goffe,  who  fled  from  England 
to  escape  execution  as  regicides  who  had  helped  to  condemn 
Charles  I.  to  death.  Scarcely  had  they  arrived  among  the 
hardy  settlers  before  a  requisition  came  demanding  their 
delivery  and  return  to  England  for  trial.  But  through  the 
protection  of  the  colonists  they  could  not  be  found,  and  were 
subs3quently  aided  in  their  escape  to  Connecticut. 

The  Puritans  of  New  England  had  sided  with  Cromwell,  and 
Charles  II.,  in  revenge  for  the  execution  of  his  father,  was  in- 
clined to  severity  in  his  government  of  the  colony.  It  was  soon 
rumored  in  Boston  that  he  intended  to  send  war  vessels  into 
their  harbor,  and  it  was  at  last  thought  advisable  for  the  New 
England  colony  to  proclaim  him  King  and  acknowledge  his 
authority.  Among  the  colonists  who  had  returned  to  England 
during  the  war  and  were  afterward  executed  by  Charles  II. , 
were  Hugh  Peters  and  Sir  Harry  Vane,  and  the  King  meditated 
the  punishment  of  others  who  had  remained  in  New  England, 
when  the  colonists  sent  commissioners  to  conciliate  the  mon- 
arch. In  complying  with  their  wishes  Charles  required  them 
to  recognize  equal  rights  for  the  Church  of  England  and  to 
extend  the  right  of  voting  to  those  who  were  not  church  mem- 
bers. The  colonists  were  not  inclined  to  grant  this  concession, 
and  four  commissioners  were  sent  over  by  the  King  to  examine 
into  the  affairs  of  the  colony,  as  their  intolerance  of  all  who 
were  not  Puritans  had  reached  the  royal  ears. 

This  difficulty  had  scarcely  ended  before  the  New  England 
colonies  became  involved  in  a  long  and  bloody  Indian  war, 
known  as  King  Philip's  War,  which  broke  out  in  1675..  The 
colony  had  been  at  peace  with  the  Indians  for  forty  years,  since 
the  fate  of  the  unfortunate  Pequods  had  forced  peace  upon  the 
natives.  The  Indians  were  becoming  more  restless  every  year 
at  the  rapid  growth  of  the  colony  and  the  constant  encroach- 
ment of  the  settlements  upon  their  lands.  The  population  of  the 
Indians  had  neither  increased  nor  diminished,  while  the  colony 


618  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

was  growing  stronger  in  numbers  every  day.  Some  of  the  tribes 
of  Indians,  among  whom  were  the  Wampanoags  and  Narra- 
gansetts,  had  been  so  crowded  into  little  bays  and  peninsulas 
that  they  could  scarcely  obtain  means  of  subsistence. 

Massasoit,  the  early  friend  of  the  English,  was  dead,  and  in 
his  place  had  left  two  sons,  Wamsutta  and  Metacom,  who  had 
resided  in  Plymouth,  where  they  received  the  names  of  Alex- 
ander and  Philip,  and  they  naturally  learned  much  of  the 
whites  and  foresaw  the  ultimate  extinction  of  the  Indian  race. 
After  these  young  men  became  chiefs  of  their  tribe,  the  colo- 
nists became  suspicious  of  their  influence  among  the  Indians, 
and  sent  Winslow  with  an  armed  force  to  take  prisoner 
Wamsutta,  the  chief  sachem  of  the  Wampanoags.  Be- 
ing surprised  with  his  followers  in  his  hunting  lodge, 
Wamsutta  was  thrown  into  such  indignation  and  excite- 
ment from  the  unprovoked  outrage  upon  himself  and  his 
tribe  that  he  was  thrown  into  a  fever,  from  which  he 
died  the  next  day,  on  his  way  home.  This  aroused  the  secret 
hostility  of  his  brother  Philip,  who  only  awaited  after  that  his 
opportunity  for  revenge.  This  burning  desire  for  vengeance 
was  increased  by  a  number  of  occurrences,  one  of  -which  started 
the  spark  which  kindled  the  flame  of  war.  A  chief  had,  in  1(574, 
been  required  to  give  up  his  arms  and  obey  a  summons  to  Bos- 
ton. In  defiance  of  this  order  he  and  his  followers  killed  the 
informer,  for  which  they  were  arrested,  tried  and  hanged.  In 
revenge  for  this  a  party  of  Philip's  men  attacked  the  village  of 
Swanzey,  when  the  people  were  returning  from  church,  and 
killed  eight  or  nine  of  them. 

When  Philip  heard  of  this  slaughter  of  the  whites  he  shed 
tears.  He  knew  that  it  meant  the  inevitable  destruction  of  his 
tribe.  He  was  aware  of  the  great  strength,  skill  and  numbers 
of  the  colonists.  He  knew  that  his  race  were  but  poorly  sup- 
plied with  weapons  of  war,  but  he  resolved  to  fight  with  des- 
peration, and  destroy  as  many  of  his  enemy  as  possible.  Single- 
handed,  he  and  his  tribe  began  the  struggle,  while  the  other 
tribes  remained  neutral  or  offered  their  assistance  to  the 
English. 

In  less  than  a  week  after  the  massacre  at  Swanzey  troops 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  519 

from.  Boston  reached  the  vicinity  and  pushed  rapidly  after  the 
Wampanoags,  whose  route  of  retreat  was  marked  by  the  smok- 
ing ruins  of  homes  and  by  poles  bearing  the  heads  of  their  un- 
fortunate victims.  Philip  was  more  terrible  as  a  fugitive  than 
ever  before.  With  burning  eloquence  he  went  among  the 
neighboring  tribes  and  exhorted  them  to  join  him.  By  his 
earnest  pleading  the  Nipmucks  were  induced  to  become  his 
allies,  and  the  terrible  war  whoop  resounded  among  the  defense- 
less settlements.  The  inhabitants  were  terror  stricken,  for 
nowhere  could  they  feel  safe  from  the  prowling  savages,  who 
skulked  from  tree  to  tree  and  ruthlessly  shot  down  the  farmers 
at  their  plows  and  massacred  their  wives  and  children,  and  left 
their  mangled  bodies  in  the  burning  ruins  of  their  homes. 
With  the  Nipmucks  Philip  hastened  through  the  un- 
protected valley  of  the  Connecticut,  spreading  desolation 
as  he  went.  To  win  back  the  friendship  of  the  Nipmucks, 
Captain  Hutchinson,  son  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  who  had 
been  banished  from  Massachusetts,  went  with  twenty  men 
to  treat  with  then,  but  the  Indians  ambushed  and  murdered 
the  whole  party  at  Brookfield,  and  after  destroying  the  town, 
besieged  the  people  in  their  block  house,  which  the  savages 
set  on  fire,  but  a  rain  fortunately  extinguished  the  flames, 
and  help  opportunely  coming,  the  Indians  were  driven  off. 
The  savages  next  burned  Deerfield,  and  on  a  Sunday  attacked 
Hadley,  while  the  people  were  at  church.  The  people  at  once 
became  panic-stricken,  and  the  savages  had  begun  the  massa- 
cre, when  a  tall,  white-haired  man  with  brandished  sword  sud- 
denly appeared,  and  forming  the  men  in  line,  led  them  to  such 
a  fierce  attack  on  the  savages  that  they  fled  precipitately  from 
the  place.  The  strange  deliverer  disappeared  as  suddenly  as 
he  came,  and  for  some  time  the  people  thought  an  angel  had 
been  sent  to  deliver  them  from  slaughter.  It  was  afterward 
learned  that  the  noble  and  daring  friend  in  need  was  Goffe,  the 
regicide,  who  was,  with  Whalley.  living  in  concealment  in  the 
home  of  Mr.  Russell,  the  minister  at  Hadley.  Goffe  had  been 
a  general  in  Cromwell's  army,  and  his  military  skill  saved  the 
lives  of  the  people  of  Hadley. 
Almost  immediately  after  this  attack  upon  Hadley  a  com- 


520  EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA. 

pany  of  eighty  young  men  of  Essex  County,  who  had  been  sent 
to  bring  the  harvest  from  Deerfield  to  Hadley  to  establish  a 
depot  of  food,  were  ambushed  by  seven  hundred  warriors  and 
all  slaughtered  at  a  stream  to  which  the  massacre  gave  the 
name  of  Bloody  Creek. 

Hatfield  was  next  attacked,  but  the  people  were  prepared  and 
repulsed  the  savages.  After  this  Philip  returned  to  Mount 
Hope,  his  old  home,  but  finding  it  destroyed  he  went  to  the 
Narragansetts  and  tried  to  induce  them  to  join  him.  Fearing 
that  he  would  secure  them  as  allies,  the  colonists  deter- 
mined to  invade  the  country  of  the  Narragansetts.  A 
thousand  men  under  Josiah  Winslow  were  sent  to  attack 
the  enemy  in  their  palisade  fort  in  the  frozen  swamp,  where 
nearly  three  thousand  of  the  tribe  had  gone  into  winter 
quarters  with  their  provisions.  After  a  toilsome  march 
the  English  reached  the  fort.  Upon  their  approach  a 
destructive  fire  was  opened  upon  them  by  the  savages,  but 
after  two  hours'  fierce  fighting  the  entrance  was  forced 
and  the  torch  was  applied  to  the  wigwams,  and  a  ter- 
rible destruction  followed.  One  thousand  warriors  were 
slain  and  several  hundred  were  made  prisoners.  The 
condition  of  the  remnant  was  now  pitiful.  Their  pro- 
visions were  all  destroyed  and  starvation  was  inevitable  to 
many  of  them.  But  miserable  as  was  their  condition,  the 
surviving  warriors  terribly  avenged  the  destruction  of  their 
tribe  upon  the  helpless  settlements,  and  burned  and  massacred 
wherever  they  went. 

".We  will  fight  to  the  last  man,"  said  Canonchet,  the  chief 
of  the  remnant ;  but  in  the  spring  he  was  taken  captive,  and 
when  going  to  his  execution  said  :  "  I  like  it  well  I  I  shall  die 
before  I  speak  anything  unworthy  of  myself." 

Philip  surprised  the  town  of  Lancaster  in  February,  1676,  and 
forty-two  persons  took  refuge  in  the  house  of  Mary  Rowland- 
son,  who  described  the  terrible  scene  as  the  "dolefulest"  she 
ever  saw,  with  the  house  on  fire,  part  of  the  people  sweltering 
in  their  blood  and  the  others  massacred  as  soon  as  they  escaped 
from  the  flames. 

So  constant  and  terrible  were  the  attacks  of  Philip  made  on 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  521 

the  defenseless  settlements  that  it  became  necessary  to  track 
him  to  his  hiding-place ;  and  Captain  Turner  being  sent  with 
troops  for  this  purpose,  and  tracing  him  to  the  falls  of  the  Con-, 
necticut,  he  was  surprised  in  the  night  and  most  of  his  warriors 
killed  or  driven  over  the  cataract. 

The  Nipmucks  and  New  Hampshire  Indians,  having  aban- 
doned the  war,  Philip  was  now  driven  from  place  to  place,  until, 
in  June,  1676,  a  strong  force  was  raised  and  placed  under  com- 
mand of  Captain  Church,  for  the  purpose  of  exterminating  the 
remnant  of  the  savage  foe.  He  soon  captured  and  killed  most 
of  the  remaining  Wampanoags.  Among  the  captives  were 
Philip's  wife  and  child.  Philip,  who  had  'returned  to  Mount 
Hope,  now  exclaimed  :  "  My  heart  breaks ;  I  am  now  ready  to 
die  !"  A  few  days  later  he  was  shot  by  a  friendly  Indian  in 
Captain  Church's  company,  who  had  pursued  Philip  into  a 
swamp  ;  and  with  his  body  quartered,  and  the  head  carried  on  a 
pole  to  Plymouth,  King  Philip's  war  was  ended  at  a  cost  of 
many  lives  and  over  six  hundred  houses  destroyed.  The  ex- 
pense of  the  war  was  very  heavy,  but  no  part  of  the  burden 
was  borne  by  England.  Instead  of  helping  the  colony,  Charles 
established  a  custom  house  in  Boston  to  gather  duties  from 
the  people,  and  to  compel  them  to  pay,  threatened  to  take 
from  the  merchants  their  passes  for  ships  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean. 

The  colony  fared  no  better  under  James  II.,  who  was  bigoted, 
stubborn  and  deceitful.  In  1686  he  appointed  Joseph  Dudley 
as  royal  president  of  Massachusetts  until  a  regularly  appointed 
governor  should  arrive,  and  Edward  Randolph  was  appointed 
censor  of  the  press.  James  made  no  provision  in  the  commis- 
sion of  Dudley  for  an  Assembly  or  representative  body  of  the 
people.  He  did  not  believe  in  legislatures  making  laws  when 
he  could  make  them  more  suitable  to  his  own  wishes. 

At  last  James  resolved  to  take  away  the  charters  of  all  the 
colonies,  and  appointed  Sir  Edmund  Andros  governor  of  all 
New  England.  Under  this  despotic  official,  the  rights  of  the 
people  were  nearly  all  taken  away,  while  their  taxes  were 
increased.  The  Church  of  England  was  established  over  the 
people. 


522  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

Andros,  after  dissolving  the  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
breaking  the  seal  of  the  colony  because  they  refused  to  deliver 
up  their  charter,  then  proceeded  with  an  armed  guard  to  Con- 
necticut and  demanded  their  charter.  The  Assembly  was  then 
in  session  at  Hartford,  and  Governor  Treat  vainly  remonstrated 
with  him,  and  an  earnest  debate  in  the  Assembly  prolonged 
the  session  until  evening,  when  candles  were  brought  in. 
Suddenly  the  lights  were  extinguished,  and  while  the  hall  was 
in  darkness  the  charter  disappeared.  Captain  William  Wads- 
worth  had  fled  with  the  precious  document  and  hid  it  in  the 
hollow  of  a  massive  oak  tree,  which  became  famous  as  the 
Charter  Oak. 

Andros  assumed  the  government  of  Connecticut,  after  which 
he  deposed  Governor  Dongan  of  New  York,  and  for  a  time  in 
1688  all  the  English  colonies  north  of  Pennsylvania  were  con- 
solidated in  one  royal  government  under  the  tyrant  Andros. 

But  the  end  of  his  reign  soon  came.  The  English  people, 
roused  against  James,  hurled  him  from  his  throne,  and  gave  it 
to  William,  Prince  of  Orange.  When  this  news  reached  the 
colonies,  they  rose  in  revolt  and  restored  their  former  govern- 
ment. Andros,  Dudley  and  Randolf  were  lodged  in  jail  and 
sent  to  England  for  trial.  Connecticut's  charter  was  then  taken 
from  its  hiding-place  and  restored  to  the  Assembly. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WITCHCRAFT  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

In  1684,  an  unfortunate  delusion  became  identified  with  the 
people  of  Massachusetts,  which  has  cast  a  stain  on  the  intelli- 
gence and  Christian  principles  of  the  early  settlers  of  that 
State,  and  especially  of  Salem,  where  so  many  innocent  per- 
sons perished  on  the  gallows. 

The  absurd  delusion  was  believed  in  at  that  age  by  many 
Christian  people  throughout  the  civilized  world.  The  peculiar 
theory  was  that,  as  Christians  were  in  covenant  with  God,  so 
witches  were  in  covenant  with  the  devil,  who  gave  them  in- 
visible influence  over  their  victims  and  power  to  torture  them. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  523 

in  every  conceivable  way.  The  ridiculous  belief  was  also  held 
that  witches  rode  on  broomsticks  through  the  air  to  meet  the 
devil  at  the  communion  of  witches.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that  human  lives  would  not  have  been  sacrificed  to  appease 
the  infernal  superstition  had  not  the  Rev.  Increase  Mather  and 
his  son,  the  Rev.  Cotton  Mather,  with  devilish  ingenuity, 
written  books  which  proved  the  death  warrants  of  many  a 
poor  and  innocent  creature,  for  whose  sacrifice  a  thousand 
such  abject  lives  as  the  Mathers'  could  not  have  atoned. 

As  soon  as  Increase  Mather's  book  was  published,  the  people 
became  excited  on  the  subject,  and  to  feed  the  flame  a  girl 
named  Goodwin  was  announced  to  be  bewitched.  This  girl 
had  accused  the  daughter  of  an  Irish  washerwoman  of  stealing 
some  insignificant  article  of  clothing.  This  accusation  the 
indignant  washerwoman  disproved,  and  gave  the  false  accuser 
a  good  scolding.  As  if  in  revenge,  the  Goodwin  girl  and  her 
brothers  and  sisters  began  to  act  strangely,  with  contortions 
and  twistings.  The  physician  who  was  called  consulted 
Mather's  book  and  pronounced  it  a  case  of  withcraft.  Then 
five  ministers,  who  claimed  to  be  ordained  of  God,  held  a  day  of 
prayer  and  fasting  at  the  Goodwin  house,  and  the  recovery  of 
one  of  the  children  was  credited  to  a  removal  of  the  spell  by 
prayer.  The  poor  Irish  woman  was  then  arrested  and  accused 
of  witchcraft,  and  being  frightened  out  of  her  senses  was  tried, 
convicted  and  judicially  murdered  on  the  gallows.  The  Good- 
win girl  was  possessed  of  vicious  cunning,  and  played  her  part 
well,  working  upon  the  weakness  of  Cotton  Mather. 

Four  years  later,  two  daughters  of  Samuel  Parris,  the  minis- 
ter at  Salem,  for  pure  deviltry  began  to  exhibit  signs  of  being 
bewitched,  which  afforded  Parris  an  opportunity  for  revenge 
against  members  of  his  congregation.  Rebecca  Nurse,  a  worthy 
Christian  woman,  was  first  accused,  then  her  sister  Sarah 
Cloyce,  and  from  the  excitement  raised  in  a  few  weeks  nearly 
one  hundred  persons  were  arrested  and  held  for  trial.  Just  at 
this  time  Sir  William  Phipps  came  to  Massachusetts  as  gov- 
ernor, with  William  Stoughton  as  deputy  governor.  The  latter 
was  a  member  of  Cotton  Mather's  church,  and  a  very  con- 
venient tool  to  be  used  by  the  Mathers  and  Parris  in  the  prose- 


524  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

cution  of  their  infernal  persecution.  The  governor's  first  act 
after  his  arrival  was  to  appoint  a  court  to  try  the  witches  in 
Salem  prison.  The  prisoners  when  brought  into  court  were 
compelled  to  stretch  out  their  arms  to  prevent  torturing  their 
victims.  One  of  Parris'  nieces,  when  told  to  touch  one  of  the 
prisoners,  screamed  that  her  fingers  burned,  and,  with  the 
greatest  ingenuity,  she  testified  that  she  had  been  asked  to  sign 
the  devil's  book  by  the  spirit  of  one  of  the  accused,  and 
that  she  had,  while  under  the  influence  of  the  witches,  seen 
their  sacrament  with  the  devil.  This  was  the  kind  of  adroit 
testimony  upon  which  worthy  innocent  Christian  women  were 
condemned  to  death  in  that  dark  age.  Any  one  was  liable  to 
arrest  who  asserted  disbelief  in  witchcraft.  No  one  was  safe. 
A  man  whipped  his  servant  for  claiming  to  have  been  be- 
witched, and,  bringing  him  to  his  senses,  asserted  that  he  could 
cure  any  one  the  same  way.  For  this  he  was  cast  into  prison. 
The  Rev.  George  Burroughs,  against  whom  Parris  had  an  enmity , 
had  pronounced  witchcraft  a  delusion.  This  cost  him  his  life. 
Being  arrested,  the  witnesses  pretended  to  be  dumb,  and 
Stoughton  sternly  asked  :  "  Why  are  these  witnesses  dumb  ?" 
Burroughs  replied,  "  Because  I  suppose  the  devil  is  in  them." 
"  Ah,"  replied  the  Judge,  "  he  is  loath  to  have  testimony  borne 
against  you."  This  evidence  was  sufficient  to  send  the  noble 
Burroughs  to  the  gallows. 

To  save  their  lives  many  confessed  that  they  were  witches  ; 
others  died  martyrs  to  the  truth.  Many  believed  in  witchcraft 
until  their  own  wives  and  daughters  were  accused.  Thus  the 
terrible  leprosy  of  superstition  spread  until  twenty  or  thirty 
persons  had  been  cruelly  put  to  death  and  fifty  more  were  in 
prison.  Then  a  change  in  public  opinionwas  brought  about  by 
a  vigorous  pamphlet,  published  by  Robert  Calef ,  of  Boston,  who 
exposed  the  irregularity  of  the  trials  and  ridiculed  the  brutal 
ignorance  of  a  belief  in  witchcraft. 

When  the  General  Court  held  its  session  it  reprieved  those 
under  sentence  and  soon  the  people  of  Salem,  in  great  indigna- 
tion at  the  base  deception  practiced  on  them,  drove  Parris  out 
of  the  town  and  made  every  restitution  in  their  power  to  the 
living. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  525 


CHAPTER 

SETTLEMENTS  BY  THE  FRENCH. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  portions  of  the  early  history  of 
America  is  contained  in  the  accounts  recorded  of  the  early 
attempts  of  the  French  to  found  settlements  in  the  territory 
now  forming  part  of  the  United  States.  Of  these  settlements 
we  have  already  given  an  account  of  the  colony  founded  by 
Cham  plain,  whose  name  is  borne  by  that  beautiful  lake  on  the 
northeastern  border  of  New  York.  The  French  who  came 
early  to  the  country  came  as  traders  with  the  Indians,  and 
scarcely  had  a  thought  of  permanent  settlement;  hence  to 
secure  furs  from  the  Indians  they  penetrated  far  inland. 

Father  Le  Caron,  a  missionary  priest  who  came  with  Cham- 
plain,  had  in  a  birch -bark  canoe  paddled  up  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  and  even  penetrated  as  far  inland  as  Lake  Huron.  In 
1634  Louis  XIII.  gave  a  charter  to  a  company,  including  in  its 
grant  all  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  its  tributaries. 
The  policy  decided  upon  was  for  the  conversion  of  the  natives 
to  the  Catholic  faith,  whereby  it  was  hoped  to  make  them 
firm  allies  of  the  French  against  the  English.  To  effect 
this  conversion  the  mission  was  placed  under  the  charge  of  the 
Jesuits.  With  great  religious  zeal  the  Jesuit  priests  began 
their  labors  in  the  New  World,  and  explored  remote  localities, 
and  to  gain  still  greater  influence  with  the  natives  they  advo- 
cated the  social  equality  of  marriage  between  the  traders  and 
the  daughters  of  the  Indians.  Two  Jesuit  priests  returned 
west  with  a  company  of  Hurons  who  had  been  to  Quebec  on  a 
trading  expedition,  and  for  nine  hundred  miles  they  followed 
the  tribe  to  their  home  on  Lake  Huron,  through  forests  and 
across  streams,  with  lacerated  feet  and  clothing  torn  in  shreds. 
Reaching  their  destination,  they  built  a  small  chapel  in  which 
to  instruct  the  simple  natives  in  the  mysteries  of  their  religion. 
Influenced  by  the  teachings  of  these  zealous  missionaries,  the 
chief  of  the  Hurons  became  a  convert  to  their  religion.  Soon 
after  this  a  college  and  convent  were  founded  at  Montreal  to 
educate  and  convert  the  Indian  girls,  and  several  nuns  came 
from  France  to  teach  them. 


526  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

As  early  as  1539  the  Iroquois  Confederacy  was  formed,  con- 
sisting of  five  nations  of  Indians,  which  was  afterward  increased 
to  six  nations  by  the  admission  of  the  Tuscaroras.  This  con- 
federation was  formed  by  Hiawatha,  a  great  chief,  whom  the 
Indians  believed  was  guided  by  the  Great  Spirit,  and  that  in  a 
snow-white  canoe,  attended  by  delightful  music,  he  was  taken 
up  to  the  Happy  Hunting  Grounds.  This  powerful  confedera- 
tion made  war  on  the  Hurons,  and  during  their  struggle  a  num- 
ber of  Jesuit  missionaries  had  suffered  martyrdom  at  the  hands 
of  the  Iroquois,  whom  no  gentle  Christian  influences  could 
affect. 

In  1643  the  Mohawks  attacked  an  expedition  of  French  on 
their  return  to  Quebec,  and  took  some  prisoners,  among  whom 
was  the  missionary.  Father  Jogues.  When  the  chief  of  the 
Hurons,  Ahasistari,  saw  that  his  teacher  had  been  taken  pris- 
oner, and  believing  that  he  would  be  burned  at  the  stake  by  the 
cruel  Mohawks,  the  noble  Indian  convert  hastened  from  his 
secure  hiding  place  into  the  midst  of  his  enemies,  and  standing 
by  the  side  of  Father  Jogues,  said  :  "My  brother,  I  made  oath 
to  thee  that  I  would  share  thy  fortune,  whether  death  or  life; 
here  I  am  to  keep  my  vow,"  and  with  his  eyes  upon  the  cruci- 
fix in  his  hand,  he  met  death  at  the  stake  like  the  Christian 
martyr  that  he  was. 

After  a  long  captivity  and  almost  constant  torture,  dragged 
from  place  to  place,  Jogues  at  last  made  his  escape  to  Fort 
Orange,  where  the  Dutch  kindly  received  him.  Going  to 
France,  he  again  returned  in  a  few  years  to  his  field  of  labor 
among  the  same  Indians  who  had  tortured  and  so  cruelly  used 
him  before,  where  he  was  soon  afterward  killed  by  one  of  the 


Father  Bressani  was  another  missionary  who  labored  and 
suffered  untold  tortures  in  his  endeavors  to  convert  the  savages. 
In  1643  the  Abenakis  tribe  of  Indians  in  Maine  asked  for  mission- 
aries, and  Father  Dreuilettes  was  sent  from  Montreal  and 
established  a  mission  near  the  Penobscot,  where  he  labored  so 
successfully  among  the  natives  that  a  permanent  mission  was 
built  up. 

In  1646  there  were  about  seventy  missionaries  laboring  in 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  527 

fields  between  Lake  Superior  and  Nova  Scotia.  But  their  mis- 
sions were  frequently  broken  up  by  the  warlike  Mohawks.  In 
1648  they  attacked  the  St.  Joseph  mission  on  Lake  Simcoe 
when  the  warriors  were  absent,  and  murdered  Father  Daniel 
and  the  women  and  children  of  the  tribe.  So  persistent  were 
the  Mohawks  that  the  Upper  Canada  missions  were  nearly  all 
broken  up  and  the  Hurom  were  scattered  and  many  of  their 
converts  were  taken  prisoners  and  distributed  among  the 
Five  Nations.  In  1661  a  mission  was  established  among  the 
Onondagas  and  Oswegos,  two  New  York  tribes,  but  scarcely 
had  the  priests  begun  to  labor  among  the  Indians  before  the 
French  sent  a  colony  to  settle  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswego 
River.  This  aroused  the  Indians,  and  they  not  only  drove 
away  the  colonists,  but  the  missionaries  also,  and  that  was  the 
last  French  settlement  in  New  York. 

In  1666  Father  Allouez  penetrated  beyond  Lake  Superior 
among  the  Chippewas,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  and 
secured  their  friendship  for  the  French.  When  Allouez  re- 
turned to  Quebec  he  carried  back  the  first  account  of  the  Upper 
Mississippi.  The  following  year  Father  Marquette  came  from 
France  and  started  in  canoes  with  Joliet,  another  priest,  and  a 
few  boatmen  and  Indian  guides,  and  after  carrying  their 
canoes  frequently  overland,  they  at  last  floated  out  of  the  "Wis- 
consin River  and  gazed  on  the  mighty  "  Father  of  Waters." 
Floating  down  on  its  broad  bosom  nearly  two  hundred  miles, 
they  saw  the  first  Indian  village,  and  through  the  interpreta- 
tion of  their  guides  were  told  that  the  great  river  extended  far 
away  to  the  south,  where  the  heat  was  intense  and  where  four- 
footed  monsters  floated  in  the  stream  and  devoured  those  who 
ventured  on  it  in  canoes.  Still  floating  further  down,  they 
passed  the  mouth  of  the  turbid  Missouri.  Still  further  on  they 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  which  the  French  called  "  Le 
Belle  Riviere."  At  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  they  turned  and 
retraced  their  journey  up  the  river,  paddling  hard  against  the 
swift  current.  The  friendly  Indians  had  tools  and  weapons 
obtained  of  Europeans,  and  it  was  feared  that  they  might  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  if  they  ventured  further  down, 
the  stream, 


528  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

Entering  the  Illinois,  they  passed  up  that  river  to  its  head- 
waters, and  from  there  overland  to  Lake  Michigan ;  and 
while  Joliet  proceeded  to  Quebec  to  bear  the  news  of  the  dis- 
covery, Marquette  remained  in  the  wilderness,  and  undertook 
an  expedition  to  the  Illinois  tribes.  There  one  day,  while  sail- 
ing on  Lake  Michigan,  he  went  ashore  to  perform  his  religious 
duties,  and  when  sought  for  after  an  unusual  delay,  he  was 
found  on  his  knees  at  an  altar,  where  he  had  died  at  his  prayers. 
There  he  was  buried,  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream  that  bears  his 
name. 

In  1675  a  young  French  adventurer,  Robert  Cavelier  de  la 
Salle,  received  from  Louis  XIV.  of  France  a  commission  to 
settle  on  the  western  lands  of  America,  and  a  large  territory 
was  granted  to  him  on  Lake  Huron,  on  condition  that  he  would 
hold  and  maintain  Fort  Frontenac.  While  laboring  to  secure 
the  trade  of  the  Iroquois,  he  learned  of  the  discovery  of  the 
Mississippi  by  Marquette.  Returning  to  France,  he  received 
a  commission  to  make  discoveries  and  a  grant  of  land  for 
settlements  on  the  banks  of  the  mighty  river,  and  returning  to 
the  west  he  built  a  small  vessel  on  Lake  Erie,  and  having  passed 
through  to  the  upper  lakes  with  her,  he  sent  her  to  Niagara 
laden  with  furs,  and  while  waiting  her  return,  he  explored  the 
valley  of  the  Illinois,  and  built  a  fort  where  Peoria  now  stands. 
His  ship  was  wrecked,  and  after  wandering  and  toiling  and  re- 
turning to  France,  he  again,  at  the  end  of  three  years,  returned  to 
the  banks  of  the  Illinois,  where  he  built  a  small  vessel,  on  which 
he  and  his  companions  floated  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  in  1682  he  took  possession  of  the  territory  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  and  named  it  Louisiana,  in  honor  of  his 
King. 

Returning  to  Quebec,  he  sailed  for  France  and  laid  before 
Louis  his  plan  for  settling  Louisiana.  His  proposition  being 
favored,  he  was  given  an  armed  ship  and  three  other  vessels, 
and  with  two  hundred  and  eighty  persons  he  embarked  in  1684 
to  form  a  settlement  in  Louisiana.  Instead  of  placing  La  Salle 
in  command  of  the  fleet,  it  was  placed  in  charge  of  Beaujeu, 
who  knew  nothing  of  the  coast,  and  he  missed  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  and  ran  the  storeship  on  the  eastern  coast  of 


EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA..  529 

Texas,  where  a  storm  destroyed  her,  with  nearly  all  the  generous 
outfit  for  the  colony.  This  so  discouraged  the  colonists  that 
numbers  of  them  returned  on  the  remaining  ships  to  France. 

La  Salle  then  built  a  fort  and  prepared  a  temporary  settle- 
ment in  Texas  until  he  could  search  for  the  Mississippi.  After 
a  toilsome  march  through  the  wilderness  he  returned,  having 
sought  in  vain  for  the  great  river,  to  find  the  colony  reduced 
to  forty  persons.  Taking  sixteen  men,  he  then  started  to 
thread  the  mazes  of  the  forest  to  Canada  for  assistance.  After 
two  months'  toilsome  march  La  Salle  was  murdered  one  nigkt 
by  two  of  his  own  men,  who  had  become  dissatisfied  and 
mutinous. 

Thus  ended  the  noble  but  unsuccessful  efforts  of  La  Salle  to 
secure  to  his  country  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The 
companions  of  his  toilsome  march,  after  visiting  retribution  on 
his  murderers,  reached  Canada,  but  the  colony  left  in  Texas  was 
never  again  heard  of  beyond  its  destruction  by  the  Spaniards, 
who  thereby  claimed  Texas  by  conquest. 

The  conflict  between  the  French  traders  on  the  lakes  and  the 
Indians  had  ceased  for  a  time,  but  the  Five  Nations  became 
aroused  with  apprehensions  at  the  expedition  of  La  Salle.  New 
York  at  that  time  possessed  a  Catholic  Governor  appointed  by 
James  II.,  who  was  friendly  to  the  French,  and  induced  the 
Mohawks  to  receive  the  Jesuit  missionaries.  But  as  soon  as 
Dongan,  the  Governor  of  New  York,  saw  that  the  French  were 
beginning  to  monopolize  the  fur  trade,  all  his  sympathies  on  the 
score  of  religion  vanished,  and  he  stirred  up  the  Mohawks  to 
hostility  against  the  French. 

Almost  immediately  after  this  James  was  driven  from  his 
throne,  and  Louis  XIV.  espousing  his  cause,  the  breach  be- 
tween England  and  France  was  widened,  and  the  feeling  ex- 
tended to  the  respective  colonies  of  the  two  countries  in 
America.  The  French  sought  to  possess  the  valleys  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  Mississippi,  but  the  Mohawks  had  been  to  them 
a  standing  menace.  The  French  sought  an  alliance  with  the 
Mohawks  for  the  invasion  of  New  York,  but  the  Indians  gave 
their  answer  by  capturing  Montreal  and  massacring  the  in- 
habitants. 


530  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

In  1689  Frontenac  again  returned  to  New  France  as  governor, 
and  at  once  began  an  expedition  against  the  English  colonies 
and  stirred  up  the  New  Hampshire  Indians  to  attack  and  de- 
stroy Dover.  Soon  after  this  a  party  of  French  and  Indians 
from  Montreal  made  a  night  attack  upon  Schenectady  and 
killed  over  sixty  of  the  inhabitants,  burned  the  place  and  took 
numbers  of  the  women  and  children  prisoners.  The  colonies 
of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  New  York  then  planned  an 
invasion  of  Canada,  as  a  means  of  ending  the  menacing  diffi- 
culty, but  through  the  inoompetency  of  the  leaders  the  expedi- 
tion failed. 

The  Indians  in  Maine  were  incited  by  the  French  to  a  cruel 
warfare  on  the  helpless  settlements  in  that  colony,  and  to  en- 
courage them  the  French  bought  as  slaves  all  the  women  and 
children  brought  them  by  the  Indians. 

Among  the  heroic  deeds  of  the  settlers  one  is  worthy  of  par- 
ticular mention.  The  Indians  attacked  the  house  of  a  farmer 
named  Dustin,  near  Haverhill,  and  carried  away  Mrs.  Dus- 
tin,  her  nurse  and  a  boy.  After  a  toilsome  march  they  planned 
an  escape,  and  one  night  when  their  twelve  captors  were  asleep, 
Mrs.  Dustin  assigned  to  her  companions  the  Indians  each  one 
was  to  strike  with  the  deadly  tomahawk.  With  most  desper- 
ate courage  they  succeeded  in  killing  ten  warriors,  sparing  only 
a  woman  and  a  child.  Then  scalping  the  Indians  as  a  trophy  of 
the  heroic  deed,  Mrs.  Dustin  procured  a  canoe  and  the  three 
floated  down  the  Merrimac  to  Haverhill,  greatly  to  the  surprise 
and  joy  of  their  friends. 

One  cold  night  in  1704  a  company  of  French  and  Indians 
made  an  attack  upon  Deerfield,  in  the  Connecticut  Valley,  and 
passing  over  the  snowdrifts  to  the  palisades,  they  ruthlessly 
slaughtered  forty-seven  persons  and  carried  away  over  one 
hundred  as  captives  after  burning  the  town. 

In  1708  the  French,  under  Hertel  de  Rouville,  marched 
through  the  defenseless  settlements  with  their  cruel  Indian 
allies,  and  burned  Haverhill,  killing  and  capturing  the  inhab- 
itants. Thus  encouraged  by  their  fiendish  success,  the  French 
renewed  their  energetic  efforts  to  secure  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  631 

In  1699  D'Iberville  sailed  from  Canada  with  four  ships  and 
about  two  hundred  colonists  to  found  a  settlement  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi.  Entering  the  mouth  of  the  river,  D'Iber- 
ville thought  he  was  mistaken  until  the  Indians  brought  him  a 
letter  written  to  La  Salle  by  Tonti  thirteen  years  before. 

After  planting  a  colony  on  the  Gulf  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pas- 
cagoula,  D'Iberville  set  sail  for  France  for  supplies  and  colo- 
nists, leaving  his  brothers  Sauville  and  Bienville  in  charge  of 
the  settlement. 

Returning  the  next  year,  D'Iberville  brought  sixty  colonists, 
and  ascending  the  Mississippi  four  hundred  miles  to  where 
Natchez  now  stands,  he  built  a  fort  and  named  it  Fort  Rosalie, 
which  is  the  oldest  town  on  the  Mississippi,  while  Mobile  be- 
came the  important  Gulf  settlement. 

Soon  after  a  settlement  was  established  up  the  Red  River  at 
Natchitoches  and  another  up  the  Alabama,  which  is  now 
Montgomery. 

About  this  time  the  great  Mississippi  scheme  of  John  Law 
was  planned.  Law  was  a  broken-down  gambler  fram  Scot- 
land, who  obtained  authority  from  the  French  Government 
for  forming  a  company  to  colonize  Louisiana  and  to  issue  an 
unlimited  circulation  of  paper  money.  This  circulation  reached 
$200,000,000  at  a  time  when  Law  was  Minister  of  Finance,  but 
the  bubble  burst  in  1720  and  thousands  were  ruined. 

In  1718  Bienville  began  clearing  the  ground  for  a  city,  and 
soon  a  number  of  French  colonists  arrived,  who  laid  out  the 
future  city  and  named  it  New  Orleans  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of 
Orleans.  The  embryo  city  grew  slowly  and  for  years  only  mere 
huts  were  built,  while  the  colonists  showed  a  lamentable  lack 
of  industry  and  enterprise.  The  only  settlers  who  exhibited 
any  inclination  to  labor  were  some  German  colonists  whom 
Law  had  secured. 

The  French  settlement  at  Fort  Rosalie  was  growing  stronger, 
and  they  made  a  demand  upon  a  Natchez  tribe  called  "  the 
children  of  the  sun  "  to  give  up  the  land  upon  which  their  village 
stood,  that  the  French  might  divide  it  into  farms.  Such  an  un- 
reasonable demand  aroused  the  indignation  of  the  Natchez,  and 
they  suddenly  fell  upon  Fort  Rosalie  and  killed  all  the  French, 


532  EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA. 

except  their  women  and  children,  who  were  taken  captive.  The 
chief,  Great  Sun,  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  French  officers  who 
had  been  slain  and,  setting  them  in  a  circle,  smoked  his  pipe  in 
triumph  in  their  midst.  While  he  and  his  tribe  were  still  cele- 
brating the  victory,  a  party  of  French  and  Choctaws  from  New 
Orleans  came  up  the  river  and,  falling  upon  the  Natchez  with 
great  slaughter,  captured  Great  Sun  and  nearly  all  the  re- 
mainder, some  four  hundred,  and  sent  them  into  slavery  at  San 
Domingo.  A  few  fled  to  the  Chickasaws,  and  their  tribe  from 
that  day  ceased  to  exist. 

As  the  Chickasaws  had  incited  the  Natchez  to  the  massacre 
at  Fort  Rosalie,  the  French  decided  to  retaliate,  and  in  1736  two 
expeditions  of  French  were  ordered  to  form  a  junction  for  an 
attack  upon  the  Chickasaws.  Bienville  advanced  from  New 
Orleans  with  twelve  hundred  Choctaws  to  meet  D'Artaguette, 
the  governor  of  Illinois,  who  was  coming  down  with  a  thous- 
and French  and  Indians.  D'Artaguette  made  the  fatal  mis- 
take of  attacking  the  Chickasaws  without  waiting  for  Bien- 
ville, but  the  wily  foe  were  on  the  alert  and  defeated  D'Arta- 
guette and  took  him  prisoner  before  Bienville  could  come  to 
his  rescue.  When  the  latter  arrived  he  found  the  Chickasaws 
strongly  intrenched,  and  his  assault  being  repulsed,  he  threw 
his  cannon  into  the  river  and  hastily  retreated.  The  Chicka- 
saws then  burned  D'Artaguette  at  the  stake. 

Notwithstanding  this  repulse  the  French  persisted  in  form- 
ing posts  along  the  Alleghany,  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers. 
The  Iroquois  claimed  possession  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  and 
the  English  colonists  iu Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and  Maryland, 
to  secure  a  better  title  to  the  territory  the  French  were 
encroaching  upon,  sent  commissioners  to  the  Iroquois,  who  pur- 
chased for  £400  all  their  title  to  the  territory  between  the  Blue 
Ridge  in  Virginia  and  the  Alleghany  mountains  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

In  1744  began  what  is  known  as  King  George's  war.  The 
hostilities  opened  by  the  French  attack  upon  and  capture  of  Fort 
Canso,  in  Nova  Scotia,  the  garrison  being  taken  as  prisoners  to 
Louisburg,  the  stronghold  of  the  Fjench  in  Cape  Breton.  This 
attack  aroused  the  New  England  colonists  to  a  realization  of 


EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA.  583 

their  danger  from  the  encroachments  of  the  French,  who  had 
already  nearly  destroyed  the  commerce  and  fisheries  of  the 
colonies.  The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  thereupon  decided 
to  fit  out  an  expedition  against  Louisburg,  and  the  other 
colonies  were  invited  to  join  in  the  undertaking.  Sir  William 
Pepperell  was  selected  as  commander  of  the  expedition,  and  an 
army  of  3,800  men  was  raised  and  placed  at  his  disposal. 
Farmers,  merchants,  mechanics,  hunters,  fishermen  and  even 
clergymen  volunteered  with  great  zeal.  They  were  undoubt- 
edly as  brave  a  company  of  men  as  ever  shouldered  muskets, 
and  what  they  lacked  in  skill  they  made  up  in  willingness  to 
fight. 

General  Pepperell  soon  set  out  with  his  force,  and  reaching 
Louisburg  and  making  an  attack  upon  one  of  the  outer  forts, 
the  French  spiked  the  guns,  and  retreated  to  the  main  fort.  A 
skillful  gunsmith  soon  drilled  out  the  spikes,  and  the  guns  were 
soon  playing  on  the  great  fort  of  Louisburg,  which  had  walls 
forty  feet  thick,  thirty  feet  high,  and  a  ditch  eighty  feet  wide, 
while  it  was  defended  by  over  two  hundred  cannon  and  a 
garrison  of  1,600  men. 

General  Pepperell  regularly  besieged  the  place,  while  the  fleet 
commanded  the  harbor,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  decoy 
and  capture  a  sixty-four  gun  ship,  laden  with  stores  for  the 
fort.  So  vigorously  was  the  siege  carried  on  that  in  six  weeks 
the  French  were  compelled  to  surrender.  This  was  a  most  joy- 
ous victory  for  the  colonists.  They  had  defeated  the  French  in 
their  most  powerful  stronghold,  and  cheer  after  cheer  went  up 
from  every  camp-fire  as  well  as  from  every  New  England  home. 

France,  smarting  under  the  defeat,  resolved  to  recapture 
Louisburg,  and  in  revenge  ravage  the  New  England  coast. 
A  fleet  was  sent  for  this  purpose,  but  a  storm  disabled  it.  The 
next  year  another  fleet  sent  out  was  captured  by  a  British 
squadron.  Soon  after  this,  while  the  colonies  were  preparing 
to  capture  Canada,  the  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  put  an  end  to 
the  war  between  France  and  England,  and  Louisburg  was  re- 
stored to  the  French,  much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  colo- 
nists of  New  England,  who  felt  that  their  dearly-bought  victory 
had  been  wrested  from  them  by  their  own  people. 


584  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN   WAR. 

Previous  to  1749  the  English  colonists  had  made  no  attempt 
to  form  settlements  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  but  its  great  fer. 
tility  and  delightful  climate  became  known  abroad,  and  the 
Governor  of  Virginia  received  royal  instructions  to  grant  a 
charter  to  the  Ohio  Company  for  large  tracts  of  land  on  the 
M  onongahela,  Kanawha  and  Ohio  rivers  ;  one  condition  being 
that  the  company  should  send  one  hundred  families. 

This  movement  the  French  at  once  undertook  to  defeat  by 
sending  a  force  to  drive  out  the  English  settlers  and  take  pos- 
session for  themselves.  The  Indians,  with  deep  interest  and 
solicitude,  watched  the  movements  of  both  French  and  English 
and  asked  the  question  :  "  If  the  French  take  possession  of  the 
north  side  of  the  Ohio  and  the  English  take  the  south  side, 
where  is  the  Indian's  land  ?" 

The  English  and  French  were  each  contemplating  the  build- 
ing of  a  fort  at  the  head  of  the  Ohio,  where  Pittsburgh  now 
stands,  and  so  vigorously  had  the-  French  taken  possession 
wherever  a  foothold  had  been  secured,  that  they  had  at  that 
time  about  sixty  forts  between  Montreal  and  New  Orleans.  In 
addition  to  these  they  had  also  built  a  fort  at  Presque  Isle,  the 
present  site  of  Erie;  another  at  French  Creek,  where  Water- 
ford  now  stands,  and  another  on  the  Alleghany,  at  Franklin. 

The  Virginians  becoming  alarmed  at  the  French  encroach- 
ment, Governor  Dinwiddie  sent  a  trusty  messenger  to  the 
French  to  remonstrate  against  their  intrusion  on  English  terri- 
tory. That  messenger  was  George  Washington,  who,  though 
then  but  twenty-two  years  of  age,  had  attracted  attention  by 
his  abilities,  and  two  years  before  had  been  appointed  adjutant- 
general. 

Young  Washington  set  out  on  his  important  mission  on  the 
21st  of  October,  1753,  from  Williamsburg,  then  the  capital  of 
Virginia,  and  after  a  toilsome  march  of  twenty-four  days 
through  the  wilderness  and  across  swollen  streams,  he  reached 
the  junction  of  the  Monongahela  and  Alleghany  rivers,  where 
Pittsburgh  now  stands.  He  was  at  once  impressed  with  the 


F.ART.Y  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  685 

importance  of  the  location  for  a  fort,  but  the  French  already 
had  the  place  in  view  for  a  fortification,  and  soon  built  Fort 
Duquesne  at  that  spot. 

In  company  with  the  chief  of  the  Delawares,  Washington 
reached  Logstown,  where  he  held  a  consultation  with  the 
Indians,  who  proclaimed  their  friendship  for  the  English. 
With  several  chiefs,  Washington  then  proceeded  to  Venango, 
where  the  French  commander  announced  the  intention  of 
taking  possession  of  the  entire  valley  of  the  Ohio.  Washington 
then  undertook  the  difficult  journey  to  Waterford,  where  he 
found  the  French  strongly  fortified  and  many  boats  and  canoes 
in  readiness  for  an  expedition.  St.  Pierre,  the  commandant, 
informed  Washington  that  his  instructions  from  the  French 
general  were  to  destroy  every  English  post  on  the  Ohio. 

Washington,  finding  that  his  efforts  were  unavailing  to  turn 
the  French  from  their  intentions,  turned  his  face  homeward ; 
and  winter  having  set  in  in  all  its  severity,  he  found  the  jour- 
ney full  of  difficulties  and  grave  dangers  which  were  greatly 
increased  from  the  fact  that  he  was  forced  to  return  on  foot, 
the  horses  having  become  disabled.  But  his  mission  was  faith- 
fully performed  and  he  was  able  to  inform  the  governor  of  his 
colony  fully  as  to  the  intentions  and  strength  of  the  French, 
which  enabled  Virginia  to  prepare  for  action. 

In  the  spring  the  Ohio  Company  began,  at  Washington's  sug- 
gestion, to  build  a  fort  at  the  junction  of  the  Monongahela  and 
Alleghany  rivers,  but  the  French  had  this  important  point  in 
view,  and,  making  a  descent  upon  the  English,  forced  them  to 
surrender  the  position.  The  French  then  began  the  erection  of 
Fort  Duquesne. 

Washington  having  been  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  of  his 
regiment,  was  then  ordered,  owing  to  illness  of  the  colonel,  to 
proceed  with  a  detachment  of  troops  to  hold  the  French  in 
check  until  the  main  force  of  Virginia  troops  could  effect  a 
junction  with  him.  Reaching  Little  Meadows,  he  learned  that 
the  French  were  in  great  force  at  Fort  Duquesne,  and  that  a 
force  was  then  marching  toward  his  little  army.  Half -King, 
the  faithful  friend  of  Washington,  sent  an  Indian  runner  to 
apprise  him  that  the  French,  were  very  near,  and  soon  Half- 


53<J  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

King  came  with  forty  Indian  allies,  and  Washington,  arrang- 
ing his  force  in  two  divisions,  made  a  night  attack  upon  the 
French  force,  and  surprising  them,  killed  Jumonville,  the 
French  officer,  and  nine  of  his  men,  and  took  twenty  prisoners. 
Washington  now  hastily  built  a  fort  at  Great  Meadows, 
which  he  named  Fort  Necessity,  which  he  had  scarcely  com- 
pleted before  a  force  of  six  hundred  French,  with  their  Indian 
allies,  appeared  in  sight  and  began  an  attack  upon  him.  Wash- 
ington fought  valiantly  all  day,  but  seeing  the  hopelessness  of 
the  struggle  against  such  odds,  surrendered  on  condition  that 
his  little  band  should  march  out  with  the  honors  of  war  and  re- 
turn home.  In  this  expedition  Washington  exhibited  so  much 
ability  that  he  received  a  vote,  of  thanks  from  the  House  of 


Outside  of  the  colonies  the  French  and  English  were  at  peace, 
but  the  intentions  of  the  French  in  America  became  so  evident 
that  England  began  sending  troops  to  aid  the  colonists  in  dis- 
lodging her  great  rival,  and  in  1754  four  expeditions  were 
planned  ;  one  was  to  be  directed  against  the  French  near  the 
Bay  of  Fundy  and  Acadia,  one  against  Niagara,  one  against 
Crown  Point  and  the  fourth  against  Fort  Duquesne. 

General  Braddock  was  sent  to  pommand  the  expedition 
against  Fort  Duquesne.  The  melancholy  record  of  this  dis- 
astrous march  is  sadly  familiar  to  all.  Braddock,  a  brave  but 
rash  and  vain  commander,  scorning  the  advice  of  Washington, 
allowed  his  army  to  be  ambushed  by  the  Indians  and  almost 
annihilated  ;  the  remnant  only  being  saved  by  Washington  and 
the  Virginia  militia. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR— CONTINUED. 

In  1755,  another  expedition  was  fitted  out  against  the  French, 
and  Massachusetts  raised  eight  thousand  soldiers.  The  oldest 
permanent  French  settlement  in  America. was  that  established 
on  the  peninsula  of  Acadia,  which  had  then  existed  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years.  For  forty  years  this  peninsula  had  been 
under  English  rule,  but  a  portion  of  Nora  Scotia  was  still 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  58? 

under  French  authority.  The  few  forts  held  by  the  French 
were  soon  captured,  and  although  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht, 
forty  years  before,  the  Arcadians  became  neutrals,  still  they 
were  now  called  upon  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
England  or  to  be  banished.  But  their  priests  exclaimed, 
"  Better  surrender  your  meadows  to  the  sea  and  your  houses 
to  the  flames  than  at  the  peril  of  your  souls  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  British  government."  On  this  refusal,  every- 
thing belonging  to  them  was  confiscated  and  they  were  ban- 
ished from  their  homes,  and  over  seven  thousand  were  cast 
poor  and  helpless  among  the  colonies,  from  Maine  to  Georgia. 
Thus  ended  the  Nova  Scotia  expedition. 

The  expedition  against  Niagara  was  placed  in  command  of 
General  Shirley,  of  Massachusetts,  but  it  accomplished  nothing, 
as  it  was  planned  for  Braddock  to  lend  it  his  assistance,  and 
his  defeat  so  disheartened  the  army  that  they  abandoned  the 
expedition  after  rebuilding  the  fort  at  Oswego  and  leaving  it  in 
charge  of  seven  hundred  men. 

Th.3  next  expedition  was  undertaken  against  Crown  Point,  and 
William  Johnson,  with  3,500  men,  advanced  to  the  southern 
shore  of  Lake  George,  where  he  waited  for  stores  and  artillery. 
Hearing  of  this  movement  the  French  sent  out  a  force  of  1,400 
Canadians  and  Indians  from  Montreal,  under  Baron  Dieskau,  to 
capture  Fort  Edward,  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Hudson, 
but,  taking  the  wrong  direction,  he  found  himself  confronted 
by  a  detachment  of  English  troops  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Johnson's  army.  Dieskau  repulsed  this  body  of  troops,  and 
would  have  defeated  Johnson's  entire  army  had  not  the  Indians 
deserted  him,  leaving  him  to  be  defeated,  and  himself  mortally 
wounded,  while  a  number  of  his  fleeing  soldiers  were  taken 
prisoners. 

The  over  whelming  defeat  of  Braddock  and  retreat  of  Dunbar 
was  followed  up  in  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  with  all  the 
horrors  of  Indian  warfare,  and  the  frontiers  were  ravaged  with 
the  most  savage  ferocity. 

At  Kittanning,  thirty  miles  from  Fort  Duquesne,  was  a  vil- 
lage of  Indians,  whose  chief  was  known  as  Captain  Jacobs. 
The  depredations  of  this  tribe  induced  Governor  Armstrong, 


638  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

of  Pennsylvania,  to  send  a  force  of  Pennsylvania  volunteers, 
who  suddenly  surrounded  the  village  at  night,  and,  setting  fire 
to  the  wigwams,  almost  entirely  destroyed  the  tribe,  and  for  a 
season  restored  peace  to  the  frontier. 

In  1 756  Montcalm  was  sent  to  Canada  to  begin  a  vigorous 
warfare  against  the  English,  and  on  his  first  expedition  he 
captured  Fort  Oswego,  with  1,600  men,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  cannon,  and  all  the  stores.  Lord  Loudon,  who  had 
been  appointed  Governor-General  of  the  English  colonies,  had 
previously  arrived  with  instructions  to  begin  immediate  opera- 
tions against  the  French,  but  he  wasted  time  in  superseding 
the  officers  of  the  colonial  troops  with  English  officers,  and 
finally  went  into  winter  quarters  without  striking  a  blow. 

In  the  meantime  Montcalm  busily  prepared  to  capture  Fort 
William  Henry,  which  was  garrisoned  by  hardy  American 
troops,  among  whom  was  the  brave  John  Stark,  husband  of 
Molly  Stark,  and  on  the  2d  of  August,  1757,  with  6,000  French 
and  2,000  Indians,  Montcalm  surrounded  the  fort  and  de- 
manded its  surrender.  The  fort,  with  2,200  men,  was  in  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Monroe,  who  refused  to  capitulate,  and  at 
once  sent  to  General  Webb,  at  Fort  Edward,  for  assistance. 
Webb  had  four  thousand  troops,  but  with  cowardly  caution  he 
refused  to  send  any  of  his  force,  and  advised  Monroe  to  surren- 
der. Still  Monroe  held  out  bravely  until  his  ammunition  was 
exhausted  and  then  accepted  the  honorable  terms  of  capitula- 
tion offered  by  Montcalm,  an  important  condition  of  which 
was  a  safe  escort  to  Fort  Edward.  This  Montcalm  faithfully 
intended  to  furnish,  but  the  savages  in  their  ferocity  and  hope 
of  plunder  fell  upon  the  Americans  and  slaughtered  a  large 
number  of  them  before  they  could  reach  Fort  Edward.  In  the 
mean  tune  Loudon  did  nothing  beyond  seeking  a  safe  headquar- 
ters. This  imbecility  resulted  by  the  close  of  1757  in  the  French 
possessions  extending  over  the  valleys  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
Mississippi  until  they  exceeded  in  dimensions  twenty  times 
those  of  the  En  gush. 

England  with  deep  anxiety  viewed  the  victorious  growth  of 
French  power  in  America,  and  decided  to  take  more  vigorous 
steps  to  crush  it  out.  William  Pitt  was  made  Prime  Minister, 


EAELY  HISTORY  OF  AMEBICA.  539 

and  America  at  once  became  his  first  care.  He  granted  many 
concessions  to  the  colonial  troops,  and  urged  upon  them  to 
raise  volunteers,  making  colonial  officers  of  the  same  rank  as 
their  grade  in  the  British  army.  This  gave  new  life  to  the 
cause,  and  when  Pitt  ordered  that  the  colonial  expenses  of  the 
war  should  be  borne  by  the  mother  country,  fifty  thousand 
eoldiers  were  soon  raised  for  expeditions  against  the  French 
Amherst  and  "Wolfe  were  to  march  against  Louisburg,  Lord 
Howe  and  Abercrombie  were  to  advance  upon  Crown  Point 
and  Ticonderoga,  and  Forbes  was  to  command  the  expedition 
against  Fort  Duquesne. 

The  expedition  against  Louisburg  was  undertaken  on  the  8th 
of  June,  1758.  Amherst  formed  his  troops  in  line  under  cover 
of  the  fire  of  his  ships,  and  Wolfe  led  the  advance.  After  a 
fierce  bombardment  of  fifty  days,  the  fort  surrendered  with 
about  6,000  prisoners,  and  the  English  took  possession  of  the 
whole  of  Cape  Breton  and  Prince  Edward's  Island.  They  then 
dismantled  Louisburg,  and  made  Halifax  their  fortress  of  the 
northeast. 

The  expedition  against  Ticonderoga  was  then  undertaken 
with  an  army  of  7,000  English  and  9,000  Americans.  They  em- 
barked on  Lake  George  in  one  thousand  boats,  but  through  a 
mistake  of  the  guide  fell  into  an  ambuscade,  in  which  Lord 
Howe  was  killed  just  as  the  English  reached  the  scene  of 
action.  Abercrombie  unwisely  ordered  an  attack  upon  the 
French  before  his  artillery  arrived,  and  Montcalm,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  this,  repulsed  the  English,  with  a  loss  to  them  of 
nearly  2,000  killed  and  wounded.  This  ended  the  attack  upon 
Ticonderoga,  and  nothing  further  was  done  in  the  campaign 
but  the  capture  of  Fort  Frontenac  and  some  armed  French  ves- 
sels on  Lake  Ontario. 

The  third  expedition  was  undertaken  against  Fort  Duquesne. 
This  would  have  proved  a  failure  but  for  the  intrepid  and  able 
Washington.  He  advised  the  advance  by  Braddock's  old 
route,  but  Forbes  undertook  to  make  a  new  road,  during  the 
slow  progress  of  which  three  hundred  of  his  men  were  am- 
bushed and  slain.  The  news  of  this  disaster  derided  Forbes 
to  return  and  abandon  the  expedition,  but  Washington  having 


§40  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

learned  from  scouts  of  the  weak  condition  of  Fort  Duquesng 
was  granted  his  urgent  request  to  proceed  alone  with  his 
Virginia  troops.  Arriving  at  the  fort,  Washington  was  gratified 
to  find  that  the  French,  hearing  of  his  approach,  had  hastily 
abandoned  the  fort  and  fled  down  the  Ohio  in  boats,  and 
on  the  25th  day  of  November,  1758,  Washington  raised  the 
English  flag  over  the  deserted  fort,  and  in  honor  of  the  noble 
Pitt,  he  changed  the  name  of  the  settlement  to  Pittsburgh. 

Leaving  the  important  position  in  charge  of  a  force  of  his 
brave  soldiers,  Washington  returned  to  Virginia,  where  with 
great  honor  he  was  received  by  the  people,  and  although  but 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Bur- 


Pitt,  with  his  statesmanlike  sagacity,  planned  to  crush  out 
the  French.  His  diplomacy  in  bearing  the  expenses  of  the  col- 
onies in  the  war  had  not  only  secured  their  earnest  co-opera- 
tion, but  the  reverses  it  brought  the  French  began  to  incline 
the  Indians  to  the  winning  side.  Pitt  recalled  Abercrorubie, 
and  appointed  Amherst  general-in-chief  of  the  army  and  gov- 
ernor of  Virginia. 

New  expeditions  were  now  planned.  Wolfe  was  assigned  to 
the  campaign  in  Canada,  where  he  was  to  ascend  the  St.  Law- 
rence to  Quebec.  Amherst  was  to  capture  Ticonderoga 
and  after  advancing  upon  Montreal  by  way  of  LakeChamplain, 
and  capturing  that  city,  was  to  join  Wolf  eat  Quebec.  Prideaux 
was  to  march  upon  Niagara,  and  after  its  capture  proceed  to 
Montreal,  while  the  country  between  Pittsburgh  and  Lake 
Erie  was  to  be  taken  possession  of  by  General  Stanwix. 

Part  of  these  expeditions  were  successful.  The  French  aban- 
donded  Ticonderoga  on  the  approach  of  Amherst,  but  the  latter 
general,  instead  of  marching  to  co-operate  with  Wolfe,  wasted 
his  time  in  fortifying  the  abandoned  positions  and  left  Wolfe 
unsupported  in  the  work  of  reducing  Canada.  Prideaux's  arrny 
captured  Niagara,  but  he  was  unfortunately  killed  by  the 
bursting  of  a  gun. 

The  greatest  undertaking  of  the  war,  however,  was  that  of 
the  capture  of  Quebec.  It  was  a  position  of  great  strength, 
with  the  fortress  of  St.  Louis,  upon  a  solid  rock,  looming  up 


EARLY   HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  541 

almost  perpendicular  over  three  hundred  feet  above  the  river. 
Behind  this  stretched  the  lofty  Plains  of  Abraham.  For  miles. 

The  force  for  the  attack  upon  Quebec  was  concentrated  at 
Louisburg.  It  consisted  of  twenty-two  ships  of  the  line  and  as 
many  more  transports  containing  8,000  men  and  large  quanti- 
ties of  stores.  This  force  arrived  at  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  opposite 
Quebec,  on  the  26th  of  June,  1759,  upon  which  the  troops  landed 
and  prepared  for  action.  To  oppose  this  force  Montcalm  had 
a  feeble  army  and  a  fortress  that  was  deemed  impregnable. 
The  camp  of  the  French  commander  was  situated  between  the 
St.  Charles  and  the  Montmorenci  rivers,  where  it  was  guarded 
by  a  fleet  of  war  vessels,  but  the  English  naval  supremacy  was 
soon  asserted  and  after  the  detachment  of  French  troops  were 
driven  from  Point  Levi,  Wolfe  erected  batteries  at  that  point 
and  soon  destroyed  the  lower  town,  but  the  height  of  the  citadel 
and  upper  town  prevented  their  bombardment.  Wolfe's  next 
movement  was  to  cross  the  river  for  the  purpose  of  forcing 
Montcalm  to  an  engagement,  but  a  division  of  the  English  army 
rashly  attempted  to  carry  the  French  lines  by  storm  without 
waiting  for  their  support  to  come  up.  This  unfortunate  attack 
cost  the  English  a  repulse  with  a  loss  of  over  four  hundred 
men. 

Wolfe  was  discouraged  by  this  fatal  move,  as  well  as  by  the 
failure  of  Amherst  to  form  a  junction  with  him.  At  last  he  re- 
solved to  scale  the  Heights  of  Abraham.  Deceiving  the  French 
as  to  his  intentions  by  ordering  soundings  to  be  made  opposite 
Montcalm's  camp  to  indicate  that  the  fleet  were  preparing  for 
an  attack  upon  his  position,  the  troops  were  suddenly  sent  on 
board  the  ships,  which  sailed  above  the  French  lines,  as  if  to 
land.  At  night  the  army  dropped  down  in  boats  to  Wolfe's 
Cove,  from  whence  the  ascent  of  the  heights  was  to  be  begun. 
So  successful  was  this  daring  undertaking  that  the  French 
troops  on  the  summit  were  driven  back,  and  by  daylight  Wolfe's 
army  held  possession  of  the  Plains  of  Abraham. 

Montcalm  was  astounded  when  the  news  was  carried  to  him, 
but  hastily  ordering  all  the  detachments  to  the  front,  he  has- 
tened to  give  battle  to  the  English.  Wolfe  met  the  advance 
with  great  coolness,  and  when  the  French  regulars  were  within 


542  EARLY  HISTORY  OP  AMERICA. 

forty  yards  he  ordered  such  a  deadly  discharge  of  musketry, 
with  grape  and  cannister  from  a  few  guns,  that  the  Frenoh 
were  driven  back  with  great  slaughter.  Wolfe  then  decided 
the  day  by  a  fierce  charge  with  bayonets.  At  that  moment 
Wolfe  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  in  his  sinking  condition  he 
exclaimed,  "  Support  me ;  let  not  my  brave  fellows  see  me 
fall."  While  being  carried  to  the  rear  he  heard  the  shout : 
"They  run!  they  run!"  "Who  runs?"  he  asked.  "The 
French,"  was  the  reply.  Giving  his  last  command,  the  brave 
Wolfe  then  fell  back  and  said,  feebly,  "  Now,  God  be  praised,  I 
die  happy,"  and  with  these  last  words  he  perished  on  the  field 
of  his  triumph. 

Montcalm  was  also  mortally  wounded  in  the  fiercest  of  the 
battle,  and  when  informed  by  the  surgeon  that  he  had  but  a 
few  hours  to  live,  he  replied :  "I  am  glad  to  hear  that  I  shall 
not  live  to  see  the  surrender  of  Quebec. " 

In  his  last  hours  Montcalm  urged  his  officers  to  concentrate 
their  forces  and  attack,  the  English  before  they  could  intrench, 
but  the  strength  of  the  French  was  broken,  and  on  September  17 
Quebec  was  surrendered  to  the  English.  Upon  this  historic 
spot  a  white  monumental  shaft  stands  with  the  name  of  Mont- 
calm generously  inscribed  upon  it  by  the  English,  side  by  side 
with  that  of  their  hero,  Wolfe. 

The  French  concentrated  all  their  forces  at  Montreal,  where 
on  September  7  of  the  following  year  Amherst  marched  upon 
them,  and  the  French  surrendered  not  only  the  city,  but  their 
entire  claim  upon  Canada,  likewise  Detroit  and  Mackinaw, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CAUSES  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION. 

After  the  end  of  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  the  social  and 
political  condition  of  the  colonies  began  to  be  studied  and  dis- 
cussed by  the  people.  Agriculture  was  the  most  natural  occu- 
pation of  the  people  of  the  different  colonies.  There  were, 
however,  many  manufacturing  industries,  and  cotton  in  the 
South  was  spun  and  woven  into  material  for  clothing.  It  is  re- 
lated that  Martha  Washington,  fifteen  years  before  the  Kevolu- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA.  543 

tion,  kept  sixteen  spinning  wheels  busily  at  work,  and  wore 
clothing  from  material  manufactured  in  he*  own  house. 

There  were  but  few  printing  presses  in  the  country,  and  in 
1750  there  were  only  seven  newspapers  published  in  the  land, 
and  but  few  books  wers  produced  until  after  the  Revolution. 

Traveling  was  done  by  small  sloops  and  wagons,  and  stage 
coaches  were  not  known  until  1772. 

The  long  war  with  the  French  and  Indians  had  made  the 
people  poor  through  neglect  of  agriculture  and  manufactures, 
and  the  only  benefit  apparently  derived  was  a  knowledge  of 
their  military  strength,  which  infused  them  with  a  greater 
spirit  of  independence  than  they  would  otherwise  have  pos- 


Having  descended  from  hardy  men  who  had  fled  for  con- 
science' sake  from  oppression,  it  was  but  natural  that  a  spirit  of 
opposition  to  royal  interference  in  their  affairs  should  exist  in 
the  children  of  the  pioneers.  They  were  not  blind  to  the  fact 
that  while  poor  they  were  left  to  shift  for  themselves  by  the 
mother  country,  and  that  it  was  only  when  profit  could  be 
made  out  of  them  that  royal  governors  and  other  officers  were 
sent  among  them. 

As  soon  as  the  colonies  began  to  manufacture  goods  and 
establish  commerce  England  looked  upon  them  as  rivals,  and 
set  about  to  prohibit  manufactures  and  trade  with  any  country 
but  England  ;  and  to  reap  still  more  profit  from  their  toil,  the 
mother  country  imposed  taxes  upon  the  colonies,  already 
struggling  under  enough  burdens  of  their  own.  To  make  these 
taxes  still  more  unjust  and  burdensome,  the  colonists  had  no 
representation  in  Parliament,  nor  any  voice  in  their  own  affairs, 
and  no  means  of  objecting  to  taxation.  To  avoid  these  unjust 
duties  upon  goods  the  people  would  smuggle  goods  ashore  and 
conceal  them,  and  to  prevent  this  George  III.  ordered  all 
sheriffs  and  constables  to  aid  the  collectors  in  their  search,  by 
breaking  open  houses  and  cellars  or  vessels  suspected  of  con- 
taining dutiable  goods. 

In  a  spirit  of  retaliation  the  people  resolved  in  many  localities 
to  wear  homespun  clothing,  and  do  without  every  luxury 
in  order  to  deprive  England  of  the  tax  she  was  so  eager  to 


544  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 

collect  everywhere.  The  attempt  to  search  houses  was  first 
made  in  Salem,  and  when  the  people  denied  the  right  to  search, 
the  Supreme  Court  decided  that  the  question  might  be  argued 
in  Boston.  The  eloquent  James  Otis  represented  the  people  in 
a  powerful  argument,  which  aroused  the  masses  in  opposition 
to  other  acts  of  Parliament. 

One  of  the  grievances  of  Virginia  was  the  establishment,  by 
law,  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  a  tax  upon  the  people 
of  16,000  pounds  of  tobacco,  as  an  annual  salary  to  the 
ministers  of  that  church.  During  the  failure  of  the  tobacco 
crop,  Virginia  passed  a  law  to  pay  the  salaries  in  money,  but 
the  clergy  resisted  this,  and  a  test  suit  was  brought,  in  which 
the  eloquent  Patrick  Henry  represented  the  people  and,  by  his 
able  appeal,  secured  a  verdict  of  one  penny  damages. 

In  1765  the  famous  Stamp  Act  was  passed.  This  law 
enforced  a  stamp  upon  every  legal  document.  Every  news- 
paper and  pamphlet  required  a  stamp,  and  various  other 
articles  also. 

When  the  news  of  this  odious  law  came,  the  Virginia  House  of 
Burgesses  was  in  session,  and  the  brave  patriot,  Patrick  Henry, 
again  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  people  by  drawing  up  five 
resolutions  condemning  the  law,  and  in  the  excited  debate 
which  followed  the  bold  Henry  bore  down  all  opposition.  In 
that  memorable  speech  he  exclaimed  :  "  Caesar  had  his  Brutus, 

Charles  I.  his  Cromwell,  and  George  III. "  "Treason, 

treason,"  was  shouted  from  various  parts  of  the  house.  "And," 
continued  Henry,  "  George  III.  may  profit  by  their  example.  If 
that  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it." 

Such  was  the  effect  of  his  speech  that  the  resolutions  were 
carried. 

Such  were  the  grievances  of  the  colonists,  and  the  despotic 
usurpations  of  power  and  deprivation  of  their  rights  which  led 
to  the  Revolution,  and  this  brings  us  up  to  that  period  in  the 
early  history  of  America  which  we  have  previously  treated 
upon  in  the  Lives  of  the  Presidents. 


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